Macau’s value of retail sales fell 45.1 percent year-on-year to 11.2 billion patacas in the first quarter, the Statistics and Census Bureau (DSEC) announced yesterday.
Macau’s economy has been hard hit by the novel coronavirus disease epidemic since late January.
According to a DSEC statement, the sales value of watches and jewellery fell 57.5 percent, department store sales dropped 56.4 percent and sales of adults’ clothing declined 52.9 percent year-on-year. However, the value of supermarket sales rose 14.0 percent.
The value of retail sales dropped 45.8 percent quarter-on-quarter.
The sector’s sales volume index dropped 44.8 percent in the first quarter.
Sales volume is the number of units sold within a reporting period.
According to a DSEC survey, 80.5 percent of Macau’s retailers anticipated a year-on-year decrease in their sales volume in the current quarter, while 52.9 percent expected “sluggish” business in the March-May period.
