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The value of total receipts of the restaurants sector was $19.9 billion in the first quarter of 2009, up by 1.5% when compared with the first quarter of 2008. Over the same period, the value of total purchases by restaurants decreased, by 2.9% to $6.9 billion.
After discounting the effect of price changes, total restaurant receipts fell by 1.8% in volume in the first quarter of 2009 as compared to a year earlier. The relevant components of the Composite Consumer Price Index are used for this price adjustment.
These are the provisional figures on restaurant receipts and purchases released today (May 4) by the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD).
Analysed by type of restaurant, total receipts of fast food shops increased by 2.4% in value but decreased by 1.5% in volume in the first quarter of 2009 as compared to a year earlier.
Over the same period, total receipts of Chinese restaurants increased by 2.0% in value but decreased by 1.3% in volume, while total receipts of bars increased by 0.6% in value but decreased by 2.6% in volume.
Total receipts of non-Chinese restaurants increased by 0.5% in value but decreased by 2.2% in volume in the first quarter of 2009 as compared to a year earlier.
On the other hand, total receipts of miscellaneous eating and drinking places decreased by 0.7% in value or 4.1% in volume.
On a seasonally adjusted quarter-to-quarter comparison, the volume of total restaurant receipts decreased by 2.6% in the first quarter of 2009 as compared to the fourth quarter of 2008.
Table 1 presents the revised figures for the total purchases of the restaurants sector, the total receipts of the entire restaurants sector and by type of restaurant for the fourth quarter of 2008 and the provisional figures for the first quarter of 2009. The value indices of the restaurant receipts for the fourth quarter of 2008 and the first quarter of 2009 for the entire restaurants sector and by type of restaurant are also given, with the average of quarterly indices from October 2004 to September 2005 taken as 100.
Table 2 shows the volume indices of the restaurant receipts for the fourth quarter of 2008 and the provisional indices for the first quarter of 2009 in respect of the entire restaurants sector and by type of restaurant, with the average of quarterly indices from October 2004 to September 2005 taken as 100.
Table 3 shows the year-on-year rate of change in total restaurant receipts in volume terms based on the original series, as well as the quarter-to-quarter rate of change based on the seasonally adjusted series.
The revised figures on restaurant receipts and purchases for the first quarter of 2009 will be released at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/hong_kong_statistics/index.jsp) and relevant publications of the Department starting from June 19, 2009.
The classification of restaurants follows the Hong Kong Standard Industrial Classification (HSIC), which is used in various economic surveys for classifying economic units into different industry classes. Upon the implementation of the new HSIC Version 2.0 by the C&SD in October 2008, the Quarterly Survey of Restaurant Receipts and Purchases has been enhanced to adopt the new classification in compiling the restaurant receipts and purchases statistics. Starting from the first quarter of 2009, all the restaurant receipts and purchases statistics, unless otherwise specified, are compiled based on the HSIC Version 2.0.
The series of restaurant receipts and purchases statistics under the HSIC Version 2.0 has also been backcasted to the base period (i.e. October 2004 to September 2005). Readers who are interested in the backcasted series or have enquiries about the survey results may contact the Distribution Services Statistics Section of the C&SD (Tel : 2123 1040 or E-mail : qsr@censtatd.gov.hk).
The C&SD has recently conducted a review on the printing of statistical publications and has decided that the print version of the Report on Quarterly Survey of Restaurant Receipts and Purchases will no longer be produced starting from the 2009 series. Nevertheless, the publication is still available for downloading free of charge from the website of the C&SD at (http://www.censtatd.gov.hk/products_and_services/products/publications/statistical_report/commerce_and_industry/index.jsp).
Ends/Monday, May 4, 2009
Issued at HKT 16:31
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