Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that 34% of the interviewed restaurants & similar establishments reported a year-on-year growth in receipts in December 2016, up by 4 percentage points from November owing to an increase in visitors. Among them, 57% of the Chinese Restaurants and 24% of the Local Style Cafes, Congee & Noodle Shops recorded a year-on-year increase in receipts, up by 2 and 8 percentage points respectively from November. Meanwhile, the proportion of interviewed restaurants & similar establishments that reported a year-on-year decline in receipts (44%) dropped by 6 percentage points from November, with the corresponding proportions of Japanese & Korean Restaurants and Local Style Cafes, Congee & Noodle Shops decreasing by 19 and 10 percentage points.
As regards retail trade, 42% of the interviewed retailers reported a year-on-year growth in sales in December 2016, up by 3 percentage points from November. All of the interviewed Leather Goods Retailers and 50% of the Department Stores recorded a year-on-year increase in sales, the same proportions as in the previous month.Moreover, 47% of the Watches, Clocks & Jewellery Retailers, 44% of the Supermarkets and 22% of the Motor Vehicle Retailers reported a year-on-year rise in sales, up by 5, 22 and 11 percentage points respectively; meanwhile, the corresponding proportion of Adults' Clothing Retailers went down by 10 percentage points. On the other hand, 49% of the interviewed retailers recorded a year-on-year decrease in sales, down by about 5 percentage points from November, with the corresponding proportions of Supermarkets, Department Stores and Motor Vehicle Retailers falling by 22, 13 and 11 percentage points respectively.
The interviewed restaurants & similar establishments were relatively optimistic about their business prospects in January 2017 when the Lunar New Year took place, with 30% anticipating a year-on-year rise in receipts, up by 10 percentage points when compared to December 2016. By contrast, 37% of the restaurants & similar establishments predicted a decline in receipts, down by about 4 percentage points from the previous month. Among the various types of restaurants, 57% of the interviewed Chinese Restaurants anticipated a year-on-year rise in receipts, up notably by 27 percentage points from the preceding month; meanwhile, the proportion of Western Restaurants that expected a decrease in receipts rose by 15 percentage points from the previous month to 50%.
Retailers expected a slight improvement in their business in January 2017. The proportion of interviewed retailers that anticipated a year-on-year increase in sales in January rose by 2 percentage points to 25% when compared to December 2016. Leather Goods Retailers were more optimistic, of which 80% expected their sales to increase year-on-year; moreover, 40% of the Cosmetics & Sanitary Articles Retailers, 38% of the Adults' Clothing Retailers and 38% of the Department Stores anticipated a year-on-year growth in sales. Meanwhile, the proportion of retailers that anticipated a decline in sales decreased by 3 percentage points to 38%, with the corresponding proportions of Department Stores and Cosmetics & Sanitary Articles Retailers dropping by 25 and 20 percentage points respectively.
The sample of the Business Climate Survey on Restaurants & Similar Establishments and Retail Trade was selected based on the receipts of the establishments, comprising 167 restaurants & similar establishments (accounting for 53% of the industry’s receipts) and 135 retailers (accounting for 70% of the industry’s receipts). The Survey results reflect only the business performance and expectations of the sample restaurants and retailers, where no extrapolation of results has been conducted.