Retail sales up 1.7% in June quarter
Twelve out of 15 industries record a sales increase.
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Seasonally adjusted total retail sales values rose 1.7% in the June quarter, according to Statistics New Zealand.
Sales values rose in all regions, and most industries. This increase was the result of a 0.9% increase in total sales volumes, combined with price rises across a number of industries.
"The information we have suggests that actual sales in Christchurch have strengthened following the quake-affected March quarter," industry and labour statistics manager Kathy Connolly says.
"The Retail Trade Survey is not designed to give a definite picture of sales movements below national level.
"However, the data that we do have makes it clear that the 'hardware, building, and garden supplies' and 'fuel' industries had significantly larger increases in Christchurch than in the rest of New Zealand."
Compared with the rest of the country, department store sales were weaker in Christchurch, where about one-third of all department stores remain closed.
Nationally, 12 of the 15 industries recorded increased sales values in the June 2011 quarter.
Motor vehicle and parts retailing, up 4.9%, contributed the most to the quarter’s increase, followed by supermarket and grocery stores, up 1.6%.
The motor vehicle and parts industry was also the largest contributor to the increase in sales volumes, with a rise of 4.2%.
This was followed by a 10 percent increase in the volume of electrical and electronic goods.
The seasonally adjusted value of core retail sales (which excludes the two vehicle-related industries) rose 1.4%. Seasonally adjusted core sales volumes rose 1.0%.
Niko Kloeten
Thu, 25 Aug 2011
Thu, 25 Aug 2011
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Retail sales up 1.7% in June quarter
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