Record Retail Sales and Visitor Arrivals During The Great Singapore Sale
The Great Singapore Sale (GSS) 2005, which took place in June and July, proved to be a roaring success, with both retail sales and visitor arrivals hitting new highs. Total retail sales over the two months soared from S$4.6 billion in 2004 to S$5 billion this year, while over 1.6 million visitors arrived in June and July, up 9% over the same period in 2004. In July, visitor arrivals also hit an all-time high of 876,561 visitors, a 9.2% increase over the previous record set in the same month in 2004.

Almost all retail sectors recorded higher turnover as compared to June and July last year, with Department Stores, Wearing Apparel & Footwear, and Watches & Jewellery leading the pack with double-digit growths in both months.

This healthy performance could be attributed to the aggressive marketing efforts by the STB and the Singapore Retailers’ Association locally and overseas, exciting offers from participating retailers, and the many spending incentives by MasterCard (Official Card of GSS 2005) and other industry partners.

According to the STB’s Visitor Perception Survey, visitors spent an average of S$1,415 on shopping during GSS 2005. This translates to a 22% growth over the average of S$1,160 spent by visitors during GSS 2004. The top three items in terms of tourist spend were fashion apparel, consumer electronics, and jewellery.

The GSS, held island-wide over eight weeks, is one of the largest in the region. The “Great Shopping and Eating Transit Programme”, “Singapore Showcase” and late-night shopping at selected malls were launched during the GSS 2005 for the very first time to make shopping even more attractive to locals and regional visitors. Into its 12th year, the GSS continues to be one of Singapore’s most iconic events and serves to differentiate Singapore as the Shopping Capital of Asia.