Indonesian Retailers Expect Sales To Rise Slightly

(RTTNews) - Retail sales in Indonesia increased for the third consecutive month in April, and retailers expect sales to grow marginally in May, the results of a survey by Bank Indonesia showed on Tuesday.

Retail sales climbed 1.5 percent year-on-year in April, slower than the 4.9 percent rise in the previous month.

The growth in April was largely driven by more sales of cultural and recreational goods as well as clothing.

On a monthly basis, retail sales surged 12.8 percent in April versus a 7.0 percent strong recovery in March.

Retailers predicted sales to rise fractionally by 0.02 percent annually in May. A positive outlook for food, beverages, tobacco, and clothing sales is expected to contribute to the overall rise.

Nonetheless, retailers expect sales to fall 3.7 percent on a monthly basis in May amid lower demand across all commodity groups.