The value of total retail sales in October, provisionally estimated at $37.2 billion, was down 3% on the same month last year, the Census & Statistics Department announced today.
After netting out the effect of price changes over the same period, the volume of total retail sales increased 1.2% year-on-year.
The sales value of jewellery, watches and clocks, and valuable gifts fell 17%. This was followed by commodities in department stores (-2.2% in value), apparel (-5.7%), and medicines and cosmetics (-2.4%).
The sales value of commodities in supermarkets increased 1.5%, followed by food, alcohol and tobacco (+3.7%).
The department said retail sales showed some improvement in October, helped mainly by visible growth in the sale of certain consumer durable goods amid the launch of new smartphone models.
The retail sales performance in the near term, however, will still be constrained by weak inbound tourism and the global economic outlook, it added.