Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that a total of 14,465 Wholesale & Retail establishments and stalls were operating in 2016, an increase of 460 year-on-year. Total number of persons engaged rose by 6.7% to 68,292, with employees accounting for 82.1% of the total. Receipts of Wholesale & Retail Trade amounted to MOP 110.91 billion in 2016, up by 1.8% year-on-year. Driven by the growth in Compensation of Employees (+12.0%) and Operating Expenses (+14.4%), expenditure of the sector increased by 1.4% to MOP 100.95 billion; meanwhile, Purchase of Goods & Commission Paid (-2.3%) registered decrease. Gross Surplus of the sector totalled MOP 9.54 billion, down by 12.2% year-on-year. Gross Value Added that measures the sectoral contribution to the economy decreased by 1.5% to MOP 19.08 billion. Gross Fixed Capital Formation went down by 15.1% to MOP 2.55 billion owing to a decrease in fixed assets acquired by the establishments.
There were 5,021 Wholesale establishments, up by 106 year-on-year. Receipts of Wholesale Trade increased by 19.5% to MOP 41.12 billion, with those from Wholesale of Fuels (MOP 8.83 billion), Wholesale of Other Consumer Goods such as electrical appliances, medicines and hygiene products (MOP 8.66 billion) and Wholesale of Machinery, Equipment & Supplies (MOP 7.05 billion) rising by 112.6%, 31.3% and 21.3% respectively; meanwhile, receipts from Wholesale of Food (MOP 11.09 billion) decreased by 11.2%. Expenditure of the establishments amounted to MOP 37.80 billion, up by 17.8% year-on-year. Gross Surplus grew by 21.1% to MOP 3.52 billion, and Gross Value Added went up by 16.2% to MOP 6.22 billion, with Gross Fixed Capital Formation of the industry amounting to MOP 604 million.
There were 6,807 Retail establishments, an increase of 318 year-on-year. Weakened domestic demand amid economic adjustment, coupled with decline in visitor spending on luxury consumer goods, dragged down receipts of Retail Trade by 4.3% year-on-year to MOP 63.23 billion. Receipts from Sales of Watches, Clocks & Jewellery Goods (MOP 14.11 billion) and Household Appliances (MOP 2.03 billion) decreased by 3.9% and 63.5% respectively, and those from Department Stores (MOP 9.45 billion) inched down by 0.1%. On the other hand, receipts from Sales of Adults’ Clothing (MOP 9.82 billion), Leather Goods (MOP 6.71 billion) and Cosmetic & Sanitary Articles (MOP 2.86 billion) rose by 17.6%, 10.1% and 21.3% respectively, as well as those from Supermarkets (MOP 5.03 billion) edged up by 1.0%. Expenditure of the establishments decreased by 4.7% year-on-year to MOP 57.36 billion, of which Purchase of Goods & Commission Paid (MOP 37.95 billion) dropped by 12.4% while Operating Expenses (MOP 13.16 billion) and Compensation of Employees (MOP 6.25 billion) rose by 15.7% and 14.0% respectively. Gross Surplus declined by 23.1% year-on-year to MOP 5.47 billion. Gross Value Added amounted to MOP 11.72 billion, down by 6.9%, and Gross Fixed Capital Formation of the industry fell by 40.4% year-on-year to MOP 1.92 billion.
There were 995 establishments operating in Sales of Motor Vehicles & Automotive Fuel, an increase of 10 year-on-year. Receipts of these establishments decreased by 25.4% year-on-year to MOP 5.03 billion. Due to the higher charges in motor vehicle tax and the increasing cost of car ownership, receipts from Sales of Motor Vehicles (MOP 2.33 billion) fell significantly by 42.1%. On the other hand, receipts from Retail Sales of Automotive Fuel (MOP 1.49 billion) went up by 13.4%. Expenditure of the establishments declined by 23.3% to MOP 4.49 billion due to a decrease in Purchase of Goods. Gross Surplus of the establishments dropped by 41.6% year-on-year to MOP 319 million, dragged by an 84.5% plunge in that from Sales of Motor Vehicles (MOP 38 million). Moreover, Gross Value Added dropped by 19.3% year-on-year to MOP 858 million.
As regards stalls, number of market stalls and fixed stalls on the street totalled 1,642. Receipts and expenditure of these stalls amounted to MOP 1.53 billion and MOP 1.30 billion respectively, down by 12.8% and 11.1% year-on-year. Gross Surplus decreased by 21.2% year-on-year to MOP 229 million and Gross Value Added amounted to MOP 276 million, down by 23.1%.