The trend estimate for Australian retail turnover rose 0.3 per cent in January 2018 following a rise (0.3 per cent) in December 2017. Compared to January 2017, the trend estimate rose 2.3 per cent according to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Retail Trade figures.
Retail turnover rose 0.1 per cent in January 2018, seasonally adjusted. This follows a 0.5 per cent fall in December 2017.
“There were offsetting movements by industry with rises in other retailing (1.0 per cent), household goods retailing (0.1 per cent), and cafes, restaurants and takeaways (0.1 per cent) being offset by falls in clothing, footwear and personal accessories (-0.7 per cent) and department stores (-0.6 percent),” Ben James, Director of Quarterly Economy Wide Surveys at the ABS, said. “Food retailing was relatively unchanged (0.0 per cent).”
In seasonally adjusted terms, there were rises in Queensland (0.4 per cent), Victoria (0.3 per cent), Western Australia (0.3 per cent), and Tasmania (0.3 per cent). The Australian Capital Territory was relatively unchanged (0.0 per cent). New South Wales (-0.2 per cent), South Australia (-0.6 per cent), and the Northern Territory (-0.5 per cent) fell in seasonally adjusted terms.
Online retail turnover contributed 4.7 per cent to total retail turnover in original terms in January 2018. In January 2017, online retail turnover contributed 3.6 per cent to total retail.
