The value of total retail sales in February, provisionally estimated at $16.7 billion, has risen 16.5% over the same month in 2004. After netting out the effect of price changes, the overall volume of retail sales rose 16% in February over a year earlier.

The revised estimate of the value of total retail sales in January, at $19 billion, rose 4.1% in value or 3.1% in volume over January 2004.

For the first two months of 2005, total retail sales rose 9.6% in value or 8.8% in volume over a year earlier.

The Census & Statistics Department said the growth in retail sales remained broad-based in the first two months, reflecting sustained upbeat consumer sentiment.

Appliances, cameras up

Analysed by type of retail outlet and comparing January and February combined with a year earlier, sales of electrical goods and photographic equipment increased the most, by 24.5% in volume.

This was followed by sales of jewellery, watches and clocks, and valuable gifts (14.1%); footwear, allied products and other clothing accessories (12.5%); wearing apparel (11.8%); miscellaneous consumer goods (7.9%); commodities in department stores (6.6%); commodities in supermarkets (5.7%); motor vehicles and parts (3.6%); fuels (2.8%); food, alcohol and tobacco (2.1%); and miscellaneous consumer durable goods (0.7%).

Sales of furniture and fixtures dropped 5.9% in volume.