By
On a yearly basis, retail sales growth was 2.2 percent in October, when sales of ready-to-consume foods and tobacco bolstered growth.
The survey of 700 retailers in 10 major cities projected that December retail sales would grow 2.6 percent from a year earlier, supported by the sales of food, beverages and tobacco.
The latest survey showed that respondents expected price pressures to decrease in February but to increase in May 2018, ahead of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.