Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that 68% of the interviewed restaurants & similar establishments registered a year-on-year rise in receipts or a stable business performance in October 2017, up by 6 percentage points from September. The proportion of Western Restaurants (25%) reporting a year-on-year growth in receipts went up by 9 percentage points, while that of Japanese & Korean Restaurants (44%) went down by 13 percentage points. On the other hand, the share of establishments recording a year-on-year decline in receipts decreased by 6 percentage points over September to 32%. The corresponding proportions of Western Restaurants (40%) and Chinese Restaurants (23%) dropped by 28 and 8 percentage points respectively, while the share of Japanese & Korean Restaurants (31%) grew by 6 percentage points.
As regards retail trade, the proportion of interviewed retailers reporting a year-on-year sales increase in October 2017 went up by 8 percentage points from September to 59%. The corresponding shares of Cosmetics & Sanitary Articles Retailers (78%) and Motor Vehicle Retailers (89%) each rose by 33 percentage points, and the proportion of Adults’ Clothing Retailers (60%) also increased by 20 percentage points; however, the share of Leather Goods Retailers (80%) decreased by 20 percentage points. On the other hand, 21% of the interviewed retailers registered a year-on-year sales decline, down by 3 percentage points over September. The corresponding shares of Motor Vehicle Retailers (11%) and Department Stores (11%) each fell by 22 percentage points, and the proportion of Adults’ Clothing Retailers (15%) dropped by 15 percentage points; meanwhile, the share of the Supermarkets (33%) grew by 11 percentage points.
The interviewed restaurants & similar establishments were cautious about their business prospects, with 68% expecting a year-on-year rise in receipts or a steady performance in November, up by 4 percentage points from October. Among the various types of establishments, 50% of the Western Restaurants and 73% of the Chinese Restaurants predicted their receipts to increase or to remain stable in November, up by 10 and 3 percentage points respectively from October, while the corresponding proportion of Japanese & Korean Restaurants (50%) went down by 6 percentage points. On the other hand, the share of establishments anticipating a year-on-year decline in receipts decreased by 4 percentage points to 32%.
Retailers expected their sales to be stable in November, with 77% predicting a year-on-year sales increase or a steady business performance, the same proportion as in October. Among the various types of retailers, all of the interviewed Motor Vehicle Retailers expected their sales to increase or to remain stable in November. Besides, 44% of the Supermarkets and 60% of the Leather Goods Retailers predicted a year-on-year sales rise in November, up by 22 and 20 percentage points respectively from October. On the other hand, 23% of the interviewed retailers anticipated a year-on-year decline in sales, remaining unchanged from October. The corresponding proportions of Cosmetics & Sanitary Articles Retailers (33%) and Watches, Clocks & Jewellery Retailers (22%) each rose by 11 percentage points.
The sample of the Business Climate Survey on Restaurants & Similar Establishments and Retail Trade was selected based on the value of 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 were not extrapolated and only reflect the assessment of the business performance and expectations of the sample restaurants and retailers.