Hong Kong's total retail sales value for December has been provisionally estimated to be 29.4 billion HK dollars, up 16 percent on the same month last year, the Census and Statistics Department of Hong Kong said Monday.

After netting out the effect of price changes over the same period, the volume of total retail sales grew 11.3 percent.

The sales volume of jewelry, watches and clocks, and valuable gifts increased the most, by 30.4 percent, followed by motor vehicles and parts, 29.8 percent; electrical goods and photographic equipment, 23 percent; apparel, 9.6 percent and commodities in department stores, 9.3 percent.

The volume of sales of commodities in supermarkets recorded a 3. 8 percent year-on-year fall.