Retail sales in the first quarter of this year fell by 1.9 percent year-on-year to 20.38 billion patacas, the Statistics and Census Bureau (DSEC) has announced.
Quarter-on-quarter, however, sales were up by 2.6 percent.
In the first three months of the year, timepieces and jewellery accounted for 20.9 percent of the total value of retail sales, followed by goods in department stores (17.6 percent), leather goods (13.6 percent) and adults’ clothing (12.4 percent).
Among the retail sector’s major product segments, sales of communication equipment (-19.9 percent), motor vehicles (-16.7 percent) and adults’ clothing (-12.9 percent) recorded year-on-year significant drops in the first quarter.
However, sales of goods in department stores and goods in supermarkets both recorded a growth of 8.6 percent between January and March, according a DSEC statement last week.(Macaunews)
