Indonesian Retail Sales Growth Eases

(RTTNews) - Indonesia's retail sales growth softened at the start of the year, preliminary data from Bank Indonesia showed on Wednesday.

Retail sales rose 0.4 percent year-on-year in January, slower than the 1.8 percent rise a month ago. Further, this was the weakest increase since the current sequence of growth began in May.

The overall annual growth was mainly driven by increased sales of cultural and recreational goods as well as information and communication equipment.

Meanwhile, sales expansion eased in spare parts and accessories, automotive fuel, as well as food, beverages, and tobacco.

On a monthly basis, sales decreased 4.8 percent after a 5.9 percent rebound in December.