sales down 6.2 percent compared to March last year. Taking into account inflation, the real decline was 8.6 percent.

Gross revenue was down for every retail sector except motor vehicles and service stations, whose aggregate receipts were 6.1 percent above last March levels. The upturn in vehicle sales, though modest, was the first seen by dealers since July, 1991.

Liquor stores' receipts were down 4.3 percent and food store sales revenue was off 7.1 percent. The Government Statistical Department said the key reason for this decline was the fact that the Easter holiday occurred in March last year, but not until April this year.

The Eastern holiday change would also have affected March turnover in the general retail sector by shifting the pre-Easter sales impact to April, the Statistical Department reported.

Gross revenue for this group fell 9.4 percent from March last year.

Residents returning from overseas trips in March declared $1.17 million worth of purchases abroad, a 6.4 percent drop from Customs declarations in March last year.

The cumulative total of overseas purchases for the first quarter of this year was $3.88 million, 0.8 percent less than the same period of 1991.