Auckland is the only region to show a rise in retail sales in July.Figures released by Statistics New Zealand show that overall retail sales were flat, with core retail – that is, sales which exclude the volatile vehicle and petrol related categorie
Auckland is the only region to show a rise in retail sales in July.
Figures released by Statistics New Zealand show that overall retail sales were flat, with core retail – that is, sales which exclude the volatile vehicle and petrol related categories –down by 0.1%, a figure which is within the margin of error.
This follows a 1.5% rise in June.
By category, grocery and food sales were up, with grocery sales, up 1.9% or $24 million, recording their highest level since before the recession, in March 2007.
One surprising pickup is in cafes and restaurants, which enjoyed an increase of 4.3% or $14 million, a turnaround after 1.7% and 2.3% in May and June respectively. Sales in this area have been falling since December.
The largest drop was in recreational goods, down 7% or $14 million, but this follows a large rise in June. Liquor retailing showed the second largest fall, in dollar terms, with sales dropping 9.3% or $10 million. The trend for liquor sales has been falling since April last year and is the longest period of decline the industry has recorded since May 1995.
On a regional basis, most of the country showed a drop in sales, with Waikato showing the largest drop, of 1.6% or $9 million. This is a turnaround as sales in the region had previous risen 6.1% since January last year.
The South Island outside Canterbury recorded the second largest drop, of 1.1% or $8 million. Again, this is a turnaround, after an upward trend of 6.8% since January 2009.
Retail sales in Auckland rose 0.5% or $9 million – the only regional increase recorded.
