SINGAPORE – Retail sales growth accelerated in April, despite ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, extending gains from the previous month as most retail segments recorded higher sales.Takings at the till rose 5.4 per cent year on year in April to an estimated $4.3 billion, up from 4.6 per cent in March, according to data released by the Singapore Department of Statistics (SingStat) on June 5.Online transactions in April accounted for 15.4 per cent of total sales, down marginally from 15.6 per cent in March.Excluding motor vehicles, parts and accessories, retail sales grew 4.5 per cent to $3.6 billion, extending the 3.0 per cent growth in March.On a month-on-month and seasonally adjusted basis, retail sales rose 0.3 per cent from the previous month, or 0.4 per cent when motor vehicle sales were excluded.Growth was driven by higher sales across most retail segments, particularly petrol service stations, recreational goods, and motor vehicles, parts and accessories. Petrol service stations posted the strongest growth, with sales jumping 14.4 per cent year on year, mainly due to higher petrol prices, said SingStat.Other growth segments included wearing apparel and footwear (7.8 per cent), watches and jewellery (6.4 per cent), cosmetics, toiletries and medical goods (6.2 per cent), and supermarkets and hypermarkets (5.8 per cent).In contrast, sales at department stores and food and alcohol retailers fell 1.1 per cent and 0.1 per cent respectively.Food and beverage services sales rose a modest 0.4 per cent year on year in April to an estimated $1.5 billion, slowing from the 2.3 per cent increase recorded in March.The share of online food and beverage sales slipped to 19.9 per cent, from 20.4 per cent in March.Fast-food outlets recorded the strongest growth, with sales increasing 3.2 per cent year on year. Cafes, food caterers and restaurants also saw higher sales.Food courts and other eating places were the only segment to record a decline, with sales falling 3.6 per cent from a year earlier.Month on month, gains were broad-based. Sales of food and alcohol rose 7.1 per cent from March, or 1.1 per cent on a seasonally adjusted basis, while petrol service stations and optical goods and books recorded increases of 7 per cent and 5.5 per cent respectively.However, sales of computer and telecommunications equipment and watches and jewellery fell 5.1 per cent and 2.6 per cent respectively from March.Vihanya Rakshika is a business correspondent at The Straits Times, with a focus on business operations and corporate credit issues.