Food and beverage services sales crash 24.7%

Online food and beverage sales increase.

Food and beverage services sales fell by almost a quarter in January 2021.

Latest government figures reported that year-on-year, sales contracted by 24.7% to $720 m.

The Department of Statistics attributed this to higher sales during last year's Chinese New Year celebrations.

The food catering industry was the hardest hit, reporting a 76% decline in sales. This was followed by the restaurant industry, which recorded a 30.2% decline. Cafes, food courts and other eating places reported a 6.8% decline, whilst fast-food outlets reported a 6.7% decline.

Of the total $720m sales, 22.1% was attributed to online purchases, higher than the 21.3% recorded in the previous month.