The value of total retail sales for December 2025, provisionally estimated at $35 billion, was up 6.6% compared with the same month in 2024.

After netting out the effect of price changes over the same period, the provisional estimate for the month was 5.1% higher year-on-year.

Online sales accounted for 8.8% of the total retail sales figure for the month. Provisionally estimated at $3.1 billion, the value of online retail sales rose 30.9% compared with a year earlier.

Meanwhile, the value of sales of jewellery, watches and clocks, and valuable gifts increased by 14.3% year-on-year.

There were also increases in the value of sales in the following categories: other consumer goods not elsewhere classified (+7.5%); electrical goods and other consumer durable goods not elsewhere classified (+58.9%); commodities in supermarkets (+0.3%); food, alcoholic drinks and tobacco (+0.5%); medicines and cosmetics (+0.6%); motor vehicles and parts (+8.9%); books, newspapers, stationery and gifts (+6.7%); and optical shops (+5.2%).

By contrast, the value of sales of wearing apparel decreased 10.3%. Also down were sales of commodities in department stores (-4.6%); fuels (-12.8%); footwear, allied products and other clothing accessories (-10%); Chinese drugs and herbs (-2.1%); and furniture and fixtures (-7.9%).

For 2025 as a whole, the value of total retail sales was provisionally estimated at $380.5 billion, up 1%, and remained at a similar level in volume compared with 2024. The value of online retail sales, provisionally estimated at $35.7 billion, rose 12.8% over 2024.