Retail, service sales up 6.5% in September
The total retail sales of consumer goods and services in September increased 6.5% against August as production, business and service activities resumed in some localities after the COVID-19 is put under control.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the country’s total retail sales and services revenue in the first nine months of this year hit VND3.336 quadrillion (US$148 billion) and 7.1% year-on-year decrease.
Retail sales of goods in the period was estimated at VND2.779 quadrillion, accounting for 82.54% of total retails sales of goods and services and a decline of 3.38% compared with last year’s figure.
Revenue from accommodation and catering services reached VND279.4 trillion, down 22.14% year-on-year. Revenue from tourism and other types of services obtained VND4.63 trillion and VND303.97 trillion, fell 64% and 19.3% compared with the same period last year.
In the coming months, the Ministry will implement some measures including removing difficulties, quickly resuming production and business activities, especially making use of high demand for goods at the year-end to offset standstill over the past months.
The Ministry will use opportunities from free trade agreements and remove obstacles to penetrate into new markets. Online trade promotion and business matching activities will be strengthened to push up the consumption of goods, it said.