SINGAPORE, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's retail sales went up 4.6 percent year on year last December, comparing to a re-calculated 5 percent rise in November, the Department of Statistics of Singapore announced on Monday.

The retail sales dropped 0.2 percent month on month on a seasonally adjusted basis in December, comparing to a 4.9 percent month-on-month growth in the previous month.

Excluding motor vehicles, the retail sales declined 2.6 percent month on month but inched up 0.6 percent year on year in December, as against a 2.7 percent month-on-month growth and a 4.4 percent year-on-year growth in November.

According to the department, the total retail sales value in December was estimated at 4.3 billion Singapore dollars (about 3.24 billion U.S. dollars).

Meanwhile, the sales of food and beverage services decreased 0.9 percent month on month in December and rose 3.1 percent year on year. The sales value was estimated at 726 million Singapore dollars.