Singapore’s F&B sales down 6.7% in August
Fast food outlets remain resilient due to higher demand for delivery.
Sales of food and beverage (F&B) services in Singapore dropped 6.7% in August from a year ago, after a 6% fall in July, according to the country’s statistics department.
The decline was attributed to stricter restrictions during that month curb the spread of COVID-19. Dining in was suspended until August 9, and was allowed for groups of up to five fully vaccinated persons the day after, August 10.
Last year, dining in for groups of up to five was allowed for the whole month of August.
On a month-on-month seasonally-adjusted basis, F&B services turnover dipped 2.1% in August, compared with a 12.9% uptick in July.
Total F&B services sales value in August came in at S$628 million, with online sales notably making up 38.8%.
Breaking it down per sector, restaurants' turnover fell 24.5% year-on-year. Sales at fast food outlets, in contrast, rose 8.7% whilst takings at cafes, food courts and other eateries climbed 3.1% due to higher demand for food deliveries.
Food caterers' turnover was up 0.1% compared with a year ago, a reversal from the 45.5% decline in July.
