People spent more on groceries, eating out, and taking holidays away from home this April, after Easter and the school
holidays coincided, Stats NZ said today.
When adjusted for seasonal effects, overall retail spending rose 0.6 percent in April, after a 0.2 percent dip in March.
Retail spending has risen in three out of four months in 2019, after slipping in the last couple of months of 2018.
The increase in retail card spending in April coincided with the timing of Easter and the school holidays. Easter fell
in the second half of April this year, but fell across March and April in 2018.
“Many employees took three days off to get a 10-day holiday over the Easter and Anzac Day period,” retail statistics
manager Sue Chapman said. Retail sales increased despite the reduced trading hours in April.
In April, spending on eating out and staying away from home (hospitality) rose $6.3 million (0.6 percent) on March, and
spending on groceries (consumables) rose $10 million (0.5 percent).
April also saw a partial bounce back in sales of clothes and shoes, as apparel sales rose 1.8 percent, after falling 2.9
percent in March.
Fuel, up $17 million (2.8 percent), and durables, up $17 million (1.3 percent), also drove the increase in retail
spending.
“The increase in fuel spending was due to climbing fuel prices,” Ms Chapman said.
“Fuel prices increased for the fourth consecutive month, after falling late last year.”
The retail durables industry, which includes furniture, hardware, appliances, and pharmaceutical retailing, bounced back
after a 1.7% decrease in March.
Core retail spending (excluding vehicle-related industries) rose 0.5 percent in April, after a 0.3 percent fall in
March.
The total value of electronic card spending, including the two non-retail categories (services and non-retail), rose 0.4
percent in April, following a 0.1 percent fall in March.
In actual terms, retail spending using electronic cards was $5.3 billion, up $232 million (4.5 percent) from April 2018.