Market recovery to hinge on the border reopening timeline
Overall, retail sales for Q2 remained under pressure, dropping 34.5% YoY amidst the continued suspension of inbound tourism. However, domestic activity has spurred performance slightly, but only narrowing the monthly decline between March (42.1%), April (36.1%) and May (32.8%).
Highlights:
- The outlook for the retail sector is anticipated to remain challenging for the rest of 2020, carrying through to H1 2021.
- The third wave of COVID-19 is anticipated to prolong the retail sector’s recovery process. However, some retailers have been able to perform with sustainable sales in H1 2020.