SINGAPORE - Retail sales grew 5.2 per cent year on year in August, accelerating from July’s revised 4.6 per cent increase, data from the Department of Statistics released on Oct 3 showed.

The sector did better than expected, beating the 4.8 per cent growth forecast by analysts in a Bloomberg poll.

Excluding cars and other vehicles, retail sales rose 4.6 per cent, more than the 3.9 per cent increase in July.

On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, retail turnover grew by a smaller 0.5 per cent margin in August. Excluding motor vehicles, sales climbed 4.6 per cent month on month, against July’s 3.9 per cent fall.

More than half of the different retail industries saw year-on-year growth in sales.

Vehicle sales grew 8.9 per cent, while sales of watches and jewellery rose 11.2 per cent and that of recreational goods increased 9.9 per cent.

Similarly, sales of optical goods and books recorded growth of 8.4 per cent.

In contrast, department stores and retailers of food and alcohol saw year-on-year declines in sales of 6.5 per cent and 5.1 per cent respectively in August.

The estimated total retail sales value in August was $4.3 billion.

Of this, an estimated 13.1 per cent were from online retail sales, compared with the 13 per cent recorded in July.

Online retail sales made up 54.5 per cent of the total sales of computer and telecommunications equipment, 32.6 per cent of furniture and household equipment sold, and 11.3 per cent of the total sales of the supermarket and hypermarket industries.

In comtrast, sales of food and beverage services declined 0.4 per cent in August on a year-on-year basis, reversing the 1.7 per cent growth in July.

On a seasonally adjusted, basis, F&B sales dipped 0.4 per cent in August 2025 compared to the previous month.