According to the results of the 2016 Annual Survey of Economic Activities – Import/Export, Wholesale and Retail Trades, and Accommodation and Food Services Sectors released today (November 30) by the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD), total receipts (i.e. sales and other receipts) of the import/export, wholesale and retail trades, and accommodation and food services sectors amounted to $4,904.4 billion in 2016, representing a decrease of 2.3% compared with 2015; on a per establishment basis, total receipts decreased by 1.7% compared with 2015 to $31.6 million in 2016.
      
     Operating expenses, cost of goods sold and compensation of employees of the above sectors altogether amounted to $4,537.9 billion in 2016, representing a decrease of 2.4% compared with 2015; on a per establishment basis, they altogether decreased by 1.8% compared with 2015 to $29.2 million in 2016.
      
     Gross surplus of the sectors, which is equal to total receipts less operating expenses, cost of goods sold and compensation of employees, decreased by 1.6% compared with 2015 to $366.5 billion in 2016; on a per establishment basis, gross surplus was $2.4 million in 2016, which decreased by 1.0% compared with 2015. For all these sectors taken together, gross surplus accounted for 7.5% of total receipts in 2016, which edged up by 0.1 percentage point compared with 2015.
      
     Value added of the sectors, which is a measure of their total contribution to Hong Kong's Gross Domestic Product, amounted to $613.4 billion in 2016, similar to that in 2015; on a per establishment basis, value added was $3.9 million in 2016, which increased by 0.7% compared with 2015.
      
     According to the survey results, it was estimated that the aforementioned sectors comprised some 155 400 establishments and engaged about 1 095 100 persons, or an average of 7.0 persons per establishment, in 2016.
      
     In the import/export trade, total receipts amounted to $3,888.6 billion while operating expenses, cost of goods sold and compensation of employees totalled $3,593.6 billion in 2016. Gross surplus decreased from $296.8 billion in 2015 to $295.0 billion in 2016, accounting for 7.6% of total receipts in 2016. Value added increased by 2.0% compared with 2015 to $435.0 billion.
      
     In the wholesale trade, total receipts amounted to $302.7 billion while operating expenses, cost of goods sold and compensation of employees totalled $294.5 billion in 2016. Gross surplus decreased from $8.5 billion in 2015 to $8.2 billion in 2016, accounting for 2.7% of total receipts in 2016. Value added decreased by 1.5% compared with 2015 to $21.1 billion.
      
     In the retail trade, total receipts amounted to $532.3 billion while operating expenses, cost of goods sold and compensation of employees totalled $493.3 billion in 2016. Gross surplus decreased from $42.1 billion in 2015 to $39.0 billion in 2016, accounting for 7.3% of total receipts in 2016. Value added decreased by 10.9% compared with 2015 to $79.5 billion.
      
     In the accommodation services sector which covers hotels, guesthouses, boarding houses and other establishments providing short term accommodation, total receipts amounted to $43.2 billion while operating expenses, cost of goods sold and compensation of employees totalled $29.0 billion in 2016. Gross surplus decreased from $15.5 billion in 2015 to $14.3 billion in 2016, accounting for 33.0% of total receipts in 2016. Value added decreased by 3.8% compared with 2015 to $27.1 billion.
      
     In the food services sector which mainly covers restaurants, total receipts amounted to $137.6 billion while operating expenses, cost of goods sold and compensation of employees totalled $127.5 billion in 2016. Gross surplus increased from $9.6 billion in 2015 to $10.1 billion in 2016, accounting for 7.4% of total receipts in 2016. Value added increased by 6.2% compared with 2015 to $50.7 billion.
      
     Selected statistics for the import/export, wholesale and retail trades, and accommodation and food services sectors in 2015 and 2016 are shown in the attached table.
      
     More detailed survey results on the import/export, wholesale and retail trades, and accommodation and food services sectors will be given in the report "Key Statistics on Business Performance and Operating Characteristics of the Import/Export, Wholesale and Retail Trades, and Accommodation and Food Services Sectors in 2016". Users can download this report (in PDF format) free of charge at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/hkstat/sub/sp320.jsp?productCode=B1080014) as from end-December 2017.
      
     Users who have enquiries about the survey results may contact the Distribution Services Statistics Section of the C&SD (Tel: 3903 7399; email: asw@censtatd.gov.hk).

Ends/Thursday, November 30, 2017
Issued at HKT 16:30

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