Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that there were 28% of the interviewed restaurants & similar establishments reporting a year-on-year rise in receipts or steady performance in November 2020, a decrease of 2 percentage points from October. The corresponding proportion of Japanese & Korean Restaurants (47%) went down by 11 percentage points, while the share of Local Style Cafes, Congee & Noodle Shops (32%) rose by 1 percentage point. On the other hand, 72% of the interviewed establishments recorded a year-on-year decline in receipts in November, an increase of 2 percentage points from October.

As regards retail trade, 27% of the interviewed retailers registered a year-on-year sales rise or steady performance in November, up by 2 percentage points from the preceding month. The corresponding proportions of Watches, Clocks & Jewellery Retailers (33%) and Adults’ Clothing Retailers (15%) increased by 17 percentage points and 10 percentage points from October respectively, whereas the share of Supermarkets (67%) fell by 22 percentage points. Meanwhile, 73% of the interviewed retailers reported a year-on-year sales decrease in November, a drop of 2 percentage points from October.

There were 20% of the interviewed restaurants & similar establishments expecting their receipts to increase year-on-year or remain stable in December 2020, down by 4 percentage points from November. The corresponding shares of Local Style Cafes, Congee & Noodle Shops (22%) and Western Restaurants (10%) decreased by 11 percentage points and 10 percentage points respectively.

Meanwhile, 29% of the interviewed retailers anticipated a year-on-year sales rise or steady performance in December, a decrease of around 1 percentage point from November. The corresponding proportion of Supermarkets (67%) dropped by 22 percentage points, while the share of Leather Goods Retailers (80%) grew by 20 percentage points.

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, which comprises 188 restaurants & similar establishments and 135 retailers that accounted for 50% and 65% of the respective industry’s receipts in 2018. The Survey results were not extrapolated and only reflect the assessment of the business performance and expectations of the sample restaurants and retailers.