Hong Kong Retail Sales Growth Accelerates in September, Online Sales Surge 27.3%
Hong Kong's Consumer Demand Recovers: Electrical Appliances as Key Growth Driver
By channel, online retail sales demonstrated particularly strong performance. The provisional statistics of online sales value surged 27.3% year-on-year to HKD 3.9 billion in September, accounting for 12.5% of the total retail sales. For the cumulative first nine months of the year, the provisional statistics of online sales value increased by 6.3% year-on-year, indicating a continuing deepening of the digital consumption transformation trend.
After netting out the effect of price changes over the same period, the provisional statistics of the total retail sales volume in September rose 4.8% year-on-year, reflecting sustained recovery in actual consumer demand. From a quarterly perspective, the seasonally adjusted total retail sales value in the third quarter of 2025 increased by 1.4% compared to the second quarter, while the total retail sales volume increased by 0.5%.
Among the main categories of retailer sales, “Electrical goods and other durable goods, not elsewhere classified” showed a significant jump, with its sales value surging 31.3%, making it a primary driver of growth. Sales of “Jewellery, watches and clocks, and valuable gifts” increased by 9.1%, continuing the strong performance seen in August. “Medicines and cosmetics” rose by 7.6%, and “Other consumer goods, not elsewhere classified” increased by 6.9%. Daily consumer goods categories such as “Supermarket goods” and “Food, alcoholic drinks and tobacco” also recorded stable growth.
However, some categories still faced challenges. Sales of “Apparel” and “Footwear and related products” decreased by 5.4% and 10.2% respectively, while “Furniture and fixtures” saw a more substantial decline of 17.3%, highlighting the divergent recovery paces across different retail sectors.
A government spokesman commented that retail sales continued to recover in September, with the rate of increase accelerating further compared to the previous month. Most major retailer categories recorded sales increases of varying degrees.
Looking ahead, the gradual improvement in local consumer sentiment, coupled with the ongoing recovery of inbound tourism, is expected to provide continued support for the retail sector.
