Q4 2020 Singapore Retail Market Update (Knight Frank)

The retail sales index (RSI) (excluding motor vehicles in chained volume terms) fell by a slight 2.4% year-on-year (y-o-y) to 98.0 in November 2020. Retail sales performance improved in the month, led by prominent large-scale sales events such as 11.11 and Black Friday on digital platforms. Prior to these events, many brick-and-mortar stores also started going virtual with establishments such as Isetan and Metro selling their products on platforms like Lazada, and BHG setting up their own shopping site. This resulted in increased online sales in November, which accounted for about 16.7% (excluding motor vehicles), or some S$516.4 million of the total retail sales amounting to S$3.1 billion. Of these, majority of the retail trade mainly comprised transactions of Computer and Telecommunications Equipment, Furniture and Household Equipment, and Supermarkets and Hypermarkets.