Provisional Statistics of Restaurant Receipts and Purchases for Fourth Quarter of 2010 and Whole Year of 2010 released
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     The value of total receipts of the restaurants sector was $22.0 billion in the fourth quarter of 2010, up by 5.7% over the fourth quarter of 2009.  Over the same period, the value of total purchases by restaurants increased, by 9.5% to $7.9 billion.

     After discounting the effect of price changes, total restaurant receipts rose by 3.2% in volume in the fourth quarter of 2010 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 Chinese restaurants increased by 6.3% in value or 3.8% in volume in the fourth quarter of 2010 as compared to a year earlier.

     Over the same period, total receipts of bars increased by 6.2% in value or 3.3% in volume, while total receipts of miscellaneous eating and drinking places increased by 5.9% in value or 2.7% in volume.

     Total receipts of fast food shops increased by 5.9% in value or 4.1% in volume in the fourth quarter of 2010 as compared to a year earlier.  As for non-Chinese restaurants, total receipts increased by 4.3% in value or 1.7% in volume.

     On a seasonally adjusted quarter-to-quarter comparison, the volume of total restaurant receipts increased by 1.3% in the fourth quarter of 2010 as compared to the third quarter of 2010.

     To facilitate better understanding of the short-term business performance of the restaurants sector, statistics in respect of the restaurant receipts and purchases in individual months of the reference quarter are published as from the press release pertaining to the first quarter of 2010.

     Analysed by month, the value of total receipts of the restaurants sector was provisionally estimated at $7.2 billion, $7.1 billion and $7.8 billion respectively in October, November and December 2010.  The provisional value of total purchases by restaurants was $2.5 billion, $2.6 billion and $2.8 billion respectively in October, November and December 2010.

     After discounting the effect of price changes, total restaurant receipts increased by 2.4%, 3.4% and 3.9% in volume respectively in October, November and December 2010 as compared to a year earlier.

     For 2010 as a whole, the value of total receipts for the restaurants sector was $84.0 billion.  This represented an increase of 5.1% in value or 3.4% in volume as compared to 2009.  Over the same period, the value of total purchases of restaurants increased by 6.6% to $29.5 billion.

     Analysed by type of restaurant, total receipts of Chinese restaurants in 2010 increased by 6.4% in value or 4.6% in volume over 2009.

     Concurrently, total receipts of fast food shops increased by 5.8% in value or 4.7% in volume, while total receipts of bars increased by 5.6% in value or 3.9% in volume.

     As for miscellaneous eating and drinking places, total receipts in 2010 increased by 3.4% in value or 1.7% in volume over 2009.

     Total receipts of non-Chinese restaurants also increased by 2.8% in value or 1.1% in volume in 2010 as compared to a year earlier.

     Table 1 presents the revised figures of total purchases by the restaurants sector, receipts of the entire restaurants sector and by type of restaurant for the third quarter of 2010 and the provisional figures for the fourth quarter of 2010 as well as the corresponding figures for the whole year of 2010.  Breakdowns of the figures by month are also presented.

     Table 2 presents the revised value indices of restaurant receipts for the third quarter of 2010 and the provisional indices for the fourth quarter of 2010 as well as the corresponding figures for the whole year of 2010 in respect of the entire restaurants sector and by type of restaurant, with the average value index of restaurant receipts from October 2004 to September 2005 taken as 100.  Breakdowns of the figures by month are also presented.

     Table 3 presents the revised volume indices of restaurant receipts for the third quarter of 2010 and the provisional indices for the fourth quarter of 2010 as well as the corresponding figures for the whole year of 2010 in respect of the entire restaurants sector and by type of restaurant, with the average volume index of restaurant receipts from October 2004 to September 2005 taken as 100.  Breakdowns of the figures by month are also presented.

     Table 4 presents the year-on-year rate of change in total restaurant receipts in volume terms based on the original quarterly 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 2010 (with breakdowns by month) 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 March 21, 2011.

     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.
     
     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 (www.censtatd.gov.hk/products_and_services/products/publications/statistical_report/commerce_and_industry/index.jsp).

     Users who 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).

Ends/Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Issued at HKT 16:30

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