Provisional Statistics of Restaurant Receipts and Purchases for the Fourth Quarter of 2009 and for the Whole Year of 2009 Released
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     The value of total receipts of the restaurants sector was $20.8 billion in the fourth quarter of 2009, up by 1.9% when compared with the fourth quarter of 2008.  Over the same period, the value of total purchases by restaurants remained almost unchanged, at $7.2 billion in the fourth quarter of 2009.     

     After discounting the effect of price changes, total restaurant receipts rose by 1.3% in volume in the fourth 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 (February 1) by the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD).

     Analysed by type of restaurant, total receipts of fast food shops increased by 3.3% in value or by 2.3% in volume in the fourth quarter of 2009 as compared to a year earlier.

     Over the same period, total receipts of Chinese restaurants increased by 1.9% in value or 1.2% in volume, while total receipts of bars increased by 1.8% in value or 2.5% in volume.

     Total receipts of miscellaneous eating and drinking places increased by 1.5% in value or 0.2% in volume in the fourth quarter of 2009 as compared to a year earlier.  As for non-Chinese restaurants, total receipts increased by 1.1% in value or 1.0% in volume.

     On a seasonally adjusted quarter-to-quarter comparison, the volume of total restaurant receipts increased by 1.9% in the fourth quarter of 2009 as compared to the third quarter of 2009.

     For 2009 as a whole, the value of total receipts of the restaurants sector was $79.9 billion.  This represented an increase of 0.6% in value but a decrease of 0.9% in volume as compared to 2008.  Over the same period, the value of total purchases by restaurants decreased by 2.8% to $27.7 billion.

     Analysed by type of restaurant, total receipts of fast food shops in 2009 increased by 2.6% in value or 0.5% in volume over 2008.

     Concurrently, total receipts of Chinese restaurants increased by 0.3% in value but decreased by 1.3% in volume, while total receipts of miscellaneous eating and drinking places increased by 0.2% in value but decreased by 1.9% in volume.

     As for non-Chinese restaurants, total receipts remained almost unchanged in value but decreased by 1.0% in volume.

     Total receipts of bars decreased by 0.4% in value or 1.3% in volume in 2009 as compared to a year earlier.

     Table 1 presents the revised figures for the total purchases by the restaurants sector, the total receipts of the entire restaurants sector and by type of restaurant for the third quarter of 2009 and the provisional figures for the fourth quarter of 2009 as well as the corresponding figures for the whole year of 2009.  The value indices of the restaurant receipts for the third quarter and the fourth 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 third quarter of 2009 and the provisional indices for the fourth 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.  Corresponding year-on-year changes for the whole year of 2009 are also given.

     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 fourth 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 19 March 2010.

     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 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).  Users 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).

     More detailed statistics are given in the Report on Quarterly Survey of Restaurant Receipts and Purchases. Users can download this publication free of charge at the website of the C&SD (http://www.censtatd.gov.hk/products_and_services/products/publications/statistical_report/commerce_and_industry/index.jsp).

Ends/Monday, February 1, 2010
Issued at HKT 16:31

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