According to the results of the 2020 Annual Survey of Economic Activities – Import/Export, Wholesale and Retail Trades, and Accommodation and Food Services Sectors released today (December 7) 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 $4,614.7 billion in 2020, representing a decrease of 6.7% compared with 2019; on a per establishment basis, total receipts decreased by 6.0% compared with 2019 to $31.7 million in 2020.
Operating expenses, cost of goods sold and compensation of employees of the above sectors altogether amounted to $4,278.5 billion in 2020, representing a decrease of 6.5% compared with 2019; on a per establishment basis, they altogether decreased by 5.8% compared with 2019 to $29.4 million in 2020.
Gross surplus of the sectors, which is equal to total receipts less operating expenses, cost of goods sold and compensation of employees, decreased by 9.4% compared with 2019 to $336.2 billion in 2020; on a per establishment basis, gross surplus was $2.3 million in 2020, which decreased by 8.7% compared with 2019. For all these sectors taken together, gross surplus accounted for 7.3% of total receipts in 2020, down by 0.2 percentage point compared with 2019.
Industry value added of the sectors, which is a measure of their total contribution to Hong Kong's Gross Domestic Product, amounted to $526.7 billion in 2020, which decreased by 15.5% compared with 2019; on a per establishment basis, industry value added was $3.6 million in 2020, which decreased by 14.8% compared with 2019.
According to the survey results, it was estimated that the aforementioned sectors comprised some 145 500 establishments and engaged about 946 900 persons, or an average of 6.5 persons per establishment, in 2020.
In the import/export trade, total receipts amounted to $3,789.3 billion while operating expenses, cost of goods sold and compensation of employees totalled $3,486.0 billion in 2020. Gross surplus decreased from $314.7 billion in 2019 to $303.3 billion in 2020, accounting for 8.0% of total receipts in 2020. Industry value added decreased by 6.0% compared with 2019 to $423.9 billion.
In the wholesale trade, total receipts amounted to $273.0 billion while operating expenses, cost of goods sold and compensation of employees totalled $266.8 billion in 2020. Gross surplus decreased from $7.6 billion in 2019 to $6.1 billion in 2020, accounting for 2.3% of total receipts in 2020. Industry value added decreased by 17.4% compared with 2019 to $18.1 billion.
In the retail trade, total receipts amounted to $419.3 billion while operating expenses, cost of goods sold and compensation of employees totalled $398.6 billion in 2020. Gross surplus decreased from $30.1 billion in 2019 to $20.7 billion in 2020, accounting for 4.9% of total receipts in 2020. Industry value added decreased sharply by 35.8% compared with 2019 to $47.6 billion.
In the accommodation services sector which covers hotels, guesthouses, boarding houses and other establishments providing short term accommodation, total receipts amounted to $18.8 billion while operating expenses, cost of goods sold and compensation of employees totalled $20.2 billion in 2020. Gross surplus decreased from a surplus of $9.4 billion in 2019 to a deficit of $1.4 billion in 2020. Industry value added decreased sharply by 74.5% compared with 2019 to $6.1 billion.
In the food services sector which mainly covers restaurants, total receipts amounted to $114.3 billion while operating expenses, cost of goods sold and compensation of employees totalled $106.8 billion in 2020. Gross surplus decreased from $9.4 billion in 2019 to $7.5 billion in 2020, accounting for 6.5% of total receipts in 2020. Industry value added decreased sharply by 41.0% compared with 2019 to $31.0 billion.
Selected statistics for the import/export, wholesale and retail trades, and accommodation and food services sectors in 2019 and 2020 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 2020". Users can download this report (in PDF format) at the website of C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/EIndexbySubject.html?pcode=B1080014&scode=540) as from end-December 2021.
Users who have enquiries about the survey results may contact the Distribution Services Statistics Section of C&SD (Tel: 3903 7399; email: asw@censtatd.gov.hk).
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