Consumers spent less on electronic cards last month, wiping out some of the gains in recent months.The value of transactions on credit and debit cards, which captures two-thirds of retail spending, fell 1% in April across all industries after gaining 1.2%
Consumers spent less on electronic cards last month, wiping out some of the gains in recent months.
The value of transactions on credit and debit cards, which captures two-thirds of retail spending, fell 1% in April across all industries after gaining 1.2% in March.
Core retail spending, which excludes the motor-vehicle sector, was down 1.9% after increasing 2% a month earlier.
Overall values for April were still 2.2% higher than the same time last year, according to Statistics New Zealand.
Government statistician Geoff Bascand said the value of total, retail and core retail transactions had been increasing since January, although the rate of increase had eased in recent months.
Durable items, including furniture, hardware and appliances, and consumables such as food and pharmaceuticals took the biggest hit in April.
Spending on non-retail items, including services such as travel, health and wholesale purchases were the least affected sectors, rising just 0.2% during the month.
