The value of total retail sales in October rose 6.9% from a year earlier, to $17.8 billion, according to the Census & Statistics Department's provisional estimate.

After netting out the effect of price changes over the same period, the volume of total retail sales increased 5.2%.

The revised estimate of the value of total retail sales in September, at $16.9 billion, increased 7.6% over the same period in 2005, while the volume of total retail sales went up 5.9%.

Taking the first 10 months of 2006 together, total retail sales increased 6.8% in value or 5.6% in volume over the same period in 2005.

Consumers buying more cars, parts

Analysed by type of retail outlet and comparing October 2006 with October 2005, the volume of sales of motor vehicles and parts increased the most, by 27%. 

This was followed by sales of food, alcoholic drinks and tobacco (+14.5% in volume) and electrical goods and photographic equipment (+12.9%).

The sales volume of miscellaneous consumer durable goods fell 8.5% while that of wearing apparel slipped 2.3% in October 2006 compared with a year earlier. The sales volume of supermarket commodities also dipped, 1.2%.

Based on the seasonally adjusted series, the volume of total retail sales increased 2.4% in the three months ending October 2006 compared with the preceding three-month period.