Australian retail turnover fell 0.3 per cent in January 2020, seasonally adjusted, according to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Retail Trade figures. This follows a fall of 0.7 per cent in December 2019.
The trend estimate rose 0.1% in January 2020. This follows a rise of 0.1% in December 2019, and a rise of 0.2% in November 2019.
The seasonally adjusted estimate fell 0.3% in January 2020. This follows a fall of 0.7% in December 2019, and a rise of 1.0% in November 2019.
In trend terms, Australian turnover rose 2.3% in January 2020 compared with January 2019.
Compared to January 2019, the trend estimate rose 2.3 per cent.
The following industries rose in trend terms in January 2020: Food retailing (0.2%), Cafes, restaurants and takeaway food services (0.1%), and Clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing (0.1%). Household goods retailing (0.0%), and Other retailing (0.0%) were relatively unchanged. Department stores (-0.3%) fell in trend terms in January 2020.
The following states and territories rose in trend terms in January 2020: Queensland (0.3%), Victoria (0.2%), Tasmania (0.7%), and the Northern Territory (0.1%). South Australia (0.0%), and Western Australia (0.0%) were relatively unchanged. New South Wales (-0.1%), and the Australian Capital Territory (-0.2%) fell in trend terms in January 2020.
“Bushfires in January negatively impacted a range of retail businesses across a variety of industries” said Ben James, Director of Quarterly Economy Wide Surveys. “Retailers reported a range of impacts that reduced customer numbers, including interruptions to trading hours and tourism.”
There were falls for household goods retailing (-1.1 per cent), department stores (-2.2 per cent), clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing (-1.1 per cent), cafes, restaurants and takeaway food services (-0.3 per cent), and other retailing (-0.1 per cent). These falls were partially offset by a rise in food retailing (0.4 per cent).
In seasonally adjusted terms, there were falls in Western Australia (-1.1 per cent), Victoria (-0.2 per cent), the Australian Capital Territory (-2.3 per cent), New South Wales (-0.1 per cent), Queensland (-0.1 per cent), Tasmania (-0.5 per cent), and the Northern Territory (-0.5 per cent). South Australia (0.1 per cent) rose in seasonally adjusted terms in January 2020.
Online retail turnover contributed 6.3 per cent to total retail turnover in original terms in January 2020. In January 2019, online retail turnover contributed 5.6 per cent to total retail.
