Singapore's retail sales decreased unexpectedly in August, figures from the Department of Statistics revealed Friday.
Retail sales fell 1.0 percent year-over-year in August, reversing a 2.7 percent climb in the previous month, which was revised from a 2.8 percent gain reported earlier.
It was the first decline in five months. Meanwhile, economists had expected a 0.8 percent increase for the month.
Excluding motor vehicles, retail sales dipped 6.5 percent annually in August, while motor vehicle sales alone surged by 30.4 percent.
Sales of food and beverages dropped 8.7 percent on year and sales at supermarkets went down by 4.7 percent.
On a monthly basis, retail sales slid 1.1 percent from July, when it rose by 1.4 percent. It was forecast to rise by 1.9 percent.
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