F&B sales fall 1.9% as cafes, food courts weaken
Fast-food outlets remained the strongest segment, recording annual and monthly sales growth.
Food and beverage services sales declined 1.9% YoY at current prices in July, following a 2.3% decrease in June, according to the Department of Statistics.
The total value of F&B sales was estimated at $1.6b.
Food courts and other eating places recorded the largest annual decline at 6.6%, whilst cafe sales fell 6.4%.
Restaurant sales also edged down 0.3% from a year earlier.
Fast-food outlets bucked the overall decline, with sales increasing 4.6% YoY. Food caterers also recorded marginal growth of 0.3%.
On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, total F&B services sales rose 0.6% from June.
Fast-food outlets led the increase with growth of 5.8%. Food caterers and restaurants recorded gains of 1.4% and 0.4%, respectively.
In contrast, sales at food courts and other eating places declined 1.3% MoM, whilst cafes edged down 0.1%.
Online transactions accounted for 20.9% of total F&B sales in July, up from 20.4% in June.