Retail sales value in April was up 23% over a year earlier, at an estimated $15.6 billion.

After netting out the effect of price changes over the same period, the overall retail sales volume rose 19.9%, the fastest increase since January 2000.

The Census & Statistics Department said the remarkable performance reflected a continued revival in local consumer demand and vibrant inbound tourism. 

The robust growth was broad-based spreading across the major types of retail outlets, with fast growth in the sales of clothing, footwear and allied products, jewellery and watches, commodities in department stores and miscellaneous consumer goods, the department added. 

Sales of motor vehicles and of electrical goods and photographic equipment also registered double-digit increases in April.

Revised March retail sales value up 9.3%

The revised estimate of the total retail sales value in March is $15.5 billion, up 9.3% in value or 9% in volume from a year earlier.

Taking the first four months of 2004 together, retail sales rose 11.6% in value or 10.1% in volume as compared to the same period a year earlier.

Compared with a year earlier, sales of jewellery, watches and clocks, and valuable gifts increased the most, by 71.4% in volume. 

This was followed by sales of footwear, allied products and other clothing accessories (up 41.2% in volume); wearing apparel (40.2%); electrical goods and photographic equipment (35.9%); commodities in department stores (31%); motor vehicles and parts (31%); miscellaneous consumer goods (20.9%); miscellaneous consumer durable goods (15.9%); furniture and fixtures (6.9%); fuels (1.4%); and food, alcoholic drinks and tobacco (0.8%).

Sales of commodities in supermarkets dropped 10.3% in volume in April when compared with a year earlier.

Based on the seasonally adjusted series, the overall retail sales volume swelled 6.4% in the three months ending April 2004 as compared to the preceding three-month period.