The value of the total retail sales in Hong Kong in July increased by 1.8 percent to HK$29.7 billion ($3.81 billion) compared with the same month in 2024, official data showed on Monday.

For the first seven months of 2025 taken together, the value of total retail sales was provisionally estimated to decrease by 2.6 percent year-on-year, according to the data released by the Census and Statistics Department.

After netting out the effect of price changes over the same period, the provisional estimate of the volume of total retail sales in July rose by 1.0 percent compared with a year earlier, the department’s data showed.

Based on the seasonally adjusted series, the provisional estimate of the value of total retail sales increased by 2.1 percent in the three months ending July compared with the preceding three-month period, while the provisional estimate of the volume of total retail sales grew by 2 percent, according to the official data.

The data also indicated that online sales accounted for 8.7 percent of the total retail sales value in July. The value of online retail sales in the month, provisionally estimated at HK$2.6 billion, rose by 13.2 percent year-on-year.

The value of sales of commodities in supermarkets grew by 0.2 percent, while there were also increases in the value of “other consumer goods not elsewhere classified” (+9.8 percent); jewelry, watches and clocks, and valuable gifts (+9.4 percent); wearing apparel (+1.3 percent); medicines and cosmetics (+2.6 percent); commodities in department stores (+2.6 percent); books, newspapers, stationery and gifts (+20.5 percent); and Chinese drugs and herbs (+19.6 percent).

Meanwhile, the value of sales of food, alcoholic drinks and tobacco decreased by 3.1 percent in July over a year earlier, followed by sales of electrical goods and “other consumer durable goods not elsewhere classified” (-8.2 percent); motor vehicles and parts (-12.4 percent); fuels (-10.3 percent); footwear, allied products and other clothing accessories (-7.6 percent); furniture and fixtures (-9.4 percent); and optical shops (-2.4 percent).

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A spokesperson for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government said retail sales continued to stabilize in July, with the value of total retail sales up 1.8 percent over the year, slightly faster than the increase in the preceding month.

“Local consumption sentiment should remain steady. The government's proactive efforts in promoting tourism and mega events will also benefit retail businesses,” the spokesperson pointed out.