SINGAPORE: Retail sales surged in May this year, compared with the same period last year, due to the low base when Singapore was in the circuit breaker phase to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.

       Takings at the till rebounded by 79.7 on a yearly basis, even higher than the 54% increase recorded in April this year.

       The Singapore Department of Statistics, which released the figures on Monday, said: “The large year-on-year (y-o-y) growth in May 2021 was attributed to the low base in May 2020 when the circuit breaker measures were put in place to contain the Covid-19 outbreak, and physical stores were closed for the whole month.

       “Retail sales, however, continued to be below pre-Covid levels.”

       Excluding motor vehicles, retail sales rose 61.6% in May.

       Almost all retail segments registered huge increases in y-o-y sales.

       The sales of watches and jewellery led the pack, with a jump of 2090% over last year.

       Department stores saw a surge in sales of 513%, while sales of wearing apparel and footwear leapt 447%.

       Motor vehicle sales jumped by 421%, while sellers of optical goods and books raked in increases of 296.5%.

       Sales of recreational goods also increased, by 219.7%. Sellers of furniture and household equipment also brought in more sales, by 161%.

       On the other hand, sales at supermarkets and hypermarkets fell by 12.1%, and takings by mini-marts and convenience stores also dropped, by 9.2% compared with May last year.

       This is due to higher demand for groceries last year as more people stayed at home during the circuit breaker period, Singstat noted.

       The food and beverage services industry also registered growth in sales, of 46.4% compared with May last year.

       “The strong growth in food and beverage sales was attributed to the low base in May 2020 during the circuit breaker period, when dining-in at food & beverage establishments was not allowed for the whole month, ” Singstat said.

       “Food and beverage sales, however, continued to be below pre-Covid levels.”

       Restaurant sales grew the most, with a jump in takings of 89.5%.

       This was followed by cafes, food courts and other eating places, which saw an increase in sales by 54.4%.

       However, food caterers continue to see a decline in sales, by 52.3%.

       The total sales value of food & beverage services in May was estimated at S$617mil (RM1.9bil)

       Of this, online food and beverage sales made up an estimated 38.8%, higher than the 24.6% recorded in April.

       This was because more people ordered food online when dine-in was not allowed during the Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) period, Singstat noted.

       The estimated total retail sales value in May 2021 was about S$3.3bil (RM10.2bil). Of this, online retail sales made up an estimated 13.7%. — The Straits Times/ANN