The value of total retail sales in March, provisionally estimated at $23 billion, fell 42% compared with the same month in 2019, the Census & Statistics Department announced today.

After netting out the effect of price changes over the same period, the volume of total retail sales decreased 43.8% year-on-year.

The value of sales of food, alcoholic drinks and tobacco decreased 21.2%.

This was followed by commodities in department stores (-42.7% in value); other consumer goods, not elsewhere classified (-29.1%); electrical goods and other consumer durable goods, not elsewhere classified (-39.6%); jewellery, watches and clocks, and valuable gifts (-75.2%); medicines and cosmetics (-63.8%); wearing apparel (-67.2%); motor vehicles and parts (-19.8%); fuels (-8%); furniture and fixtures (-14.4%); books, newspapers, stationery and gifts (-48.4%); Chinese drugs and herbs (-51.7%); footwear, allied products and other clothing accessories (-60.6%); and optical shops (-46.6%).

The value of sales of commodities in supermarkets increased 16.1% for the period.

The Government said retail sales continued to plummet in March as the COVID‑19 pandemic and resulting anti-epidemic measures brought inbound tourism to a standstill and seriously disrupted consumption-related activities.

For the first quarter as a whole, the volume of retail sales fell 36.9% year-on-year, the largest decline for a single quarter on record.

Noting that the business environment for retail trade will remain very difficult in the near term amid the deep economic recession and sharp deterioration in the labour market, the Government said it will closely monitor the developments.