Retail sales fell 4.2% in September

Total retail sales value dipped to $3.4b.

Singapore's retail sales slipped by 4.2% YoY in September, a sharper decline compared to last year's 0.2%.

According to the Department of Statistics Singapore (SingStat), total retail sales value hit $3.4b, slightly lower than $3.5b in 2016.

Excluding motor vehicles, retail sales dipped by 0.2%.

Amongst industries, sales of motor vehicles registered the largest decline of 19.9%, followed by furniture & household equipment at 5.4%, and computer & telecommunication equipment at 4%.

Meanwhile, sales of recreational goods registered the highest growth at 5.5%, followed by wearing apparel & footwear at 2.9%, and optical goods & books at 1.9%.

Sales of food and beverage services also fell by 1.1% to a total value of $712m in September.