Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that 36% of the interviewed restaurants & similar establishments registered a year-on-year rise in receipts in November 2017, down by 6 percentage points from October. The corresponding proportions of Japanese & Korean Restaurants (25%) and Chinese Restaurants (46%) went down by 19 and 9 percentage points respectively, while the share of Local Style Cafes, Congee & Noodle Shops (37%) went up by 4 percentage points. On the other hand, the share of the interviewed establishments recording a year-on-year decline in receipts increased by 4 percentage points over October to 36%. The corresponding proportions of Western Restaurants (65%) and Chinese Restaurants (34%) grew by 25 and 11 percentage points respectively.
As regards retail trade, the proportion of interviewed retailers reporting a year-on-year sales increase in November 2017 was similar to that in October, at 59%. The corresponding shares of Motor Vehicle Retailers (67%), Cosmetics & Sanitary Articles Retailers (67%) and Department Stores (56%) decreased by 22, 11 and 11 percentage points respectively, while the proportion of Supermarkets (78%) increased by 33 percentage points. On the other hand, the proportion of interviewed retailers recording a year-on-year sales decline held stable as in October, at 21%. The corresponding share of Adults’ Clothing Retailers (35%) rose by 20 percentage points. Meanwhile, none of the interviewed Supermarkets and Leather Goods Retailers showed a year-on-year sales decline.
The interviewed restaurants & similar establishments remained cautious about their business prospects, with 20% expecting a year-on-year growth in receipts in December, up slightly by 1 percentage point from November. Among the various types of establishments, the shares of Chinese Restaurants (34%) and Japanese & Korean Restaurants (31%) predicting an increase in receipts in December rose by 9 and 6 percentage points respectively from November, while the proportion of Western Restaurants (5%) went down by 5 percentage points. Meanwhile, the share of establishments anticipating a year-on-year decline in receipts also increased by 1 percentage point to 33%. The corresponding proportion of Western Restaurants (60%) grew by 10 percentage points, whereas that of Japanese & Korean Restaurants (31%) dropped by 19 percentage points.
Retailers expected their sales to be stable in December, with 31% anticipating a year-on-year growth in sales, the same proportion as in November. Among the various types of retailers, the shares of Leather Goods Retailers (60%), Supermarkets (44%) and Watches, Clocks & Jewellery Retailers (44%) predicting a year-on-year sales rise in December remained unchanged from November. On the other hand, 21% of the interviewed retailers anticipated a year-on-year decrease in sales, down by 2 percentage points from November. The corresponding proportions of Department Stores (22%) and Cosmetics & Sanitary Articles Retailers (22%) each fell by 11 percentage points. Moreover, 56% of Motor Vehicle Retailers expected a year-on-year sales decline in December.
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.