Quiet month in retail card spending

Quiet month in retail card spending

Electronic card spending in retail industries fell 0.2 percent in August 2017 when adjusted for seasonal effects, Stats NZ said today. This follows a 0.6 percent fall in July 2017.

"This is the fourth consecutive monthly fall in retail card spending, which is mainly influenced by lower fuel prices over recent months," retail manager Sue Chapman said. "All the six retail industries showed only small changes, with movements less than $5 million compared with July."

Spending rose in four of the six retail industries. The largest movement was in the consumables industry, up $3.3 million (0.2 percent). The consumables industry includes grocery and liquor retailing.

Core retail spending (which excludes the vehicle-related industries) fell 0.2 percent in August 2017, after an unchanged July 2017.

Actual retail spending using electronic cards was $4.9 billion in August 2017, up $205 million (4.4 percent) from August 2016.

Values are only available at the national level, and are not adjusted for price changes.

ENDS

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