Retail sales in Indonesia surged by 6.5 percent year-on-year in October of 2021, rebounding sharply from a 2.2 percent drop a month earlier. This was the first increase in retail trade since June, amid easing COVID-19 restrictions. Sales grew faster for both food, beverages & tobacco (14.5% vs 5.3% in September) and fuels (29.4 vs 22.8%). In addition, sales fell much less for clothing (-4.2% vs -12.0%), automotive parts & accessories (-6.6% vs -10.1%), information & communication equipment (-8.9% vs -28.8%), home appliances (-20.3% vs -24.9%), and cultural & recreational goods (-12.0% vs -12.6%). On a monthly basis, retail sales rose by 3.2 percent, recovering from a 1.5 percent decrease in September.
