Fast food chains boost Hong Kong restaurant sales
Non-Chinese restaurants, meanwhile, jumped by 4.8% in value.
The value of total receipts of the Hong Kong’s restaurant sector in Q1 2019, provisionally estimated at HK$31.5 billion, increased by 3.0% over a year earlier, figures from the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) revealed.
The provisional estimate of the value of total purchases by restaurants also rose by 3.1% to HK $10.0 billion over the same period.
“After netting out the effect of price changes over the same period, the provisional estimate of the volume of total restaurant receipts increased by 0.5% in the first quarter of 2019 compared with a year earlier,” the department explained.
Analysed by type of restaurant and comparing the Q1 2019 with Q1 2018, fast food shops were top gainers, with total receipts increased by 5.8% in value and 2.8% in volume.
Total receipts of Chinese restaurants fell by 0.6% in value and 2.7% in volume. In contrast, total receipts of non-Chinese restaurants jumped by 4.8% in value and 2.4% in volume.
Total receipts of bars, meanwhile, increased by 2.6% in value and 0.4% in volume. For miscellaneous eating and drinking places, total receipts increased by 11.2% in value and 7.0% in volume.
The agency explained that based on the seasonally adjusted series, the provisional estimate of total restaurant receipts increased by 3.9% in value and 2.8% in volume in Q1 2019 compared with the preceding quarter.
Analysing it by month, data shows that the value of total receipts of the restaurants sector increased by 6.7%, 0.8% and 1.4% respectively in January, February and March 2019, compared with the corresponding months a year earlier.
“After discounting the effect of price changes, it was provisionally estimated that the volume of total restaurant receipts increased by 3.8% in January 2019, but decreased by 1.3% and 1.0% respectively in February and March 2019, compared with the corresponding months a year earlier,” the department said.
