E-payments grew 3% for F&B but fell by over 10% in retail

Electronic payment transactions for food and beverage (F&B) establishments in Macau rose modestly by 3.1% in the first half of 2025, while the retail sector experienced a significant decline of over 10%, according to the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC).

In the same release, the bureau also noted that the trend was the opposite in retail trade, with a drop of 10.2% to MOP25.05 billion recorded.

In June alone, the transaction value for restaurants and similar establishments increased by 2.2% year-on-year to MOP1.06 billion, with a relatively significant rise in the transaction value for fast-food restaurants (+12.9%). Additionally, the transaction values for Chinese restaurants and local-style cafes, congee, and noodle shops grew by 2.6% and 1.8%, respectively.

The DSEC noted that in the same month, as the boost from the Labour Day holidays (in May) waned, F&B establishments saw a month-on-month decrease of 8.5% in transaction value. The transaction values for local-style cafes, congee & noodle shops, and Chinese restaurants also dropped by 10.9% and 9.4%, respectively.

Among the subsectors of retail trade that recorded the most significant drops in e-payment in the 1H of 2025 were department stores (-17.9%) and leather goods (-11.9%), while the most significant increase was recorded in pharmacy (+7.7%).

Retail trade drops 1.5% in June

In June this year, the transaction value for retail trade totaled MOP3.73 billion, representing a year-on-year drop of 1.5%. Among the major retail activities, department stores and leather goods retailers showed further improvement in June, with a continued slowdown in the year-on-year decrease in the transaction value for department stores (-2.2%) and a rise in the transaction value for leather goods retailers (+6.6%).

Likewise, with the Labour Day holiday effect tapering off, the transaction value for retail trade dropped by 11.8% in June compared to the revised May figure (MOP4.23 billion).

The transaction values for watches, clocks & jewelry retailers and pharmacies fell by 21.1% and 19.5% month-on-month, respectively, whereas the transaction value for leather goods retailers increased by 1.0%.

The statistics on e-payments for F&B and retail trade are compiled using data from major merchant acquirers in Macau and information from DSEC. E-payment transaction values accounted for about 70% to 80% of the receipts of these sectors. The statistics do not include cash transactions.