Retail sales drop amid restricted in-person shoppingBy Angelica Oung and Lisa Wang / Staff reportersRetail sales dropped 5.8 percent sequentially to NT$309.6 billion (US$11.06 billion) last month as shopping malls were hit hard by measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, Ministry of Economic Affairs data showed on Wednesday. On an annual basis, retail sales gained 2.8 percent, the data showed. As people were advised not to go out, e-commerce sales expanded 21.6 percent to NT$24.9 billion, it showed. The downward trend in retail sales is expected to carry into this month, the ministry said, citing a survey it conducted. On a month-on-month basis, wholesale revenue declined 1.8 percent, the ministry said, adding that the downward trend would likely persist this month.

Source: Taipei Times June 24, 2021 15:56 UTC