while residents spent record amounts overseas, the latest figures show.

Government Statistics Department retail sales figures released yesterday show that after taking inflation into account, the value of retail sales in Bermuda decreased slightly for the month.

But the level of overseas spending by residents soared during April by 16.6 percent to $2.81 million.

Gross turnover in all shops for the month was estimated at $47 million.

Consumers spent more on furniture and appliances than they did in the previous April.

There was also stronger demand for pharmaceutical supplies and the booming construction industry in Bermuda saw hardware sales increase.

But spending at both the major department stores and smaller outlets specialising in clothing, footwear and accessories weakened.

And stores catering for tourists experienced a drop in gross revenue and volume.

Car, bike and service station sales fell by more than 12 percent on last year's results but car dealers said this could simply reflect special deals which bolstered sales last April but were not repeated.

Food stores posted a gain of 5.9 percent in total receipts while liquor store sales inched up by 2.1 percent.