F&B sales fall 3.4% in January on CNY timing effect

Across segments, restaurant sales registered a 9.3% YoY drop.

Food and Beverage (F&B) services fell 3.4% year-on-year (YoY) in January, following a 0.3% decline in December 2025, according to the Department of Statistics.

The lower sales were attributed to the timing of the Chinese New Year, which fell in February this year instead of January.

On a seasonally adjusted basis, however, F&B sales rose 1.8% month-on-month compared with December.

The estimated total sales value of F&B services reached $1.6b in January, of which 22.1% came from online transactions, lower than the 25.8% share recorded in December.

Across segments, restaurant sales registered a 9.3% YoY drop, whilst fast food outlets slipped 1%.

In contrast, café sales rose 9.3% YoY, followed by food caterers at 3.1%. Sales at food courts and other eating places increased 0.9% during the period.

On a month-on-month basis, food caterers registered the strongest growth at 4.8%, whilst fast food outlets, cafés, and restaurants recorded increases of 4.3%, 4.1%, and 1.3%, respectively.

However, food courts and other eating places saw sales edge down 0.8%.