The value of total retail sales in May, provisionally estimated at $34.5 billion, rose 18.4% compared with the same month in 2022, the Census & Statistics Department announced today.

After netting out the effect of price changes over the same period, the provisional estimate of the volume of total retail sales for the month increased 16.5% year-on-year.

Of the total retail sales value in May, online sales accounted for 6.3%. Provisionally estimated at $2.2 billion, the value of online retail sales dropped 3.7% compared with a year earlier.

The value of sales of jewellery, watches and clocks, and valuable gifts increased 51.8%.

This was followed by sales of other consumer goods not elsewhere classified (+16.1% in value); wearing apparel (+38.5%); commodities in department stores (+9.9%); food, alcoholic drinks and tobacco (+4.4%); medicines and cosmetics (+51.5%); motor vehicles and parts (+54.7%); footwear, allied products and other clothing accessories (+17.9%); Chinese drugs and herbs (+35.1%); books, newspapers, stationery and gifts (+17.9%); and optical shops (+16.4%).

On the other hand, the value of sales of commodities in supermarkets decreased 0.2% in the month over a year earlier. This was followed by sales of electrical goods and other consumer durable goods not elsewhere classified (-5.6% in value); fuels (-13.7%); and furniture and fixtures (-8.6%).

Date: 2023.07.03