The sales of food and beverage (F&B) in the second quarter (Q2) of 2023 increased by 12.8 per cent to BND111.7 million compared to BND99 million in Q2 2022, said the Department of Economic Planning and Statistics (JPES) in a statement yesterday, adding that in terms of volume, F&B activity also recorded a growth of 8.8 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y).
The increase in sales revenue was attributed to the rise in all F&B activities – catering services by 79.6 per cent, fast-food outlets by 15.5 per cent, other food services by 13.8 per cent, restaurants by 8.7 per cent and beverage serving by 4.8 per cent.
For the quarter-to-quarter comparison, the sales value and volume of F&B services have also increased compared to the first quarter (Q1) of 2023.
The sales value of F&B services increased by 3.2 per cent in Q2 2023 due to the rise in sales revenue of catering services by 19.9 per cent, other food services by 14.9 per cent, beverage servings by 12.9 per cent, fast-food outlets by 2.6 per cent and restaurants by 0.2 per cent, the agency added.
Meanwhile, retail sales performance fell 4.9 per cent y-o-y with sales revenue decreasing from BND470.3 million to BND447.3 million due to a fall in domestic demand.
The decrease in sales revenue of retail sales was mainly attributed to the decline in sales of watches and jewellery by 18.5 per cent; textiles, wearing apparel and footwear by 16.5 per cent; computer and telecommunications equipment by 13.7 per cent; and sales at department store by 7.2 per cent.
For quarter-to-quarter comparison, the retail sales value and volume in Q2 2023 increased compared to Q1 2023. The retail sales value rose by 3.2 per cent, driven by an increase in the sales of electrical household appliances and lighting equipment in specialised stores by 10.5 per cent; watches and jewellery by 8.6 per cent; department store by 4.6 per cent; petrol station by 4.2 per cent; and supermarket by 2.3 per cent.
