HONG KONG, March 3 (Xinhua) -- The value of total retail sales in Hong Kong in January this year, provisionally estimated at 32.6 billion HK dollars (about 4.20 billion U.S. dollars), decreased by 13.6 percent compared with the same month in 2020, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government announced on Wednesday.
The Census and Statistics Department of the HKSAR government Wednesday released the latest figures on retail sales, showing that the revised estimate of the value of total retail sales in December 2020 decreased by 13.3 percent compared with a year earlier.
A spokesman for the HKSAR government said that retail sales continued to post a notable year-on-year decline in January 2021 amid the fourth wave of COVID-19 infection. He said the business environment of the retail trade will still be difficult in the near term as the epidemic continues to pose a threat and inbound tourism remains frozen.
"As such, it is pivotal to contain the epidemic. If the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme yields the intended results, it should help lay a firm foundation for the revival of the retail sector and a broader based recovery of the economy later in the year," the spokesman said. Enditem
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