Retail sales, excluding VAT (value-added tax), increased a working-day adjusted 10.4% year-on-year in August, after a 12.6% rise in July.

Sales of non-food stores surged 17.2% annually in August and those in specialized stores accelerated 38.8%.

Sales in non-specialized stores and those of food, alcoholic beverages and tobacco increased by 2.2% and 2.8%, respectively.

On a month-on-month basis, retail sales declined a seasonally adjusted 0.6% in August.