The total volume of retail sales in New Zealand fell 1.2 percent in the June 2024 quarter, after adjusting for price inflation and seasonal effects, according to figures released by Stats NZ today.
This movement continues the downward trend observed in the last eight quarters.
Eleven of the 15 retail industries had lower sales volumes in the June 2024 quarter, compared with the March 2024 quarter.
The largest contributors to the fall in retail activity were:
- electrical and electronic goods retailing - down 6.0 percent
- motor vehicle and parts retailing - down 2.7 percent
- food and beverage services - down 1.9 percent.
- clothing, footwear, and personal accessories - down 4.1 percent.
"Retail sales decreased the most in the electrical and electronic goods industry and the motor vehicles and parts industry. By contrast, supermarket sales were up in the June quarter," business financial statistics manager Ricky Ho said.
| "Industry (ANZSIC06)" | "$" |
| "Supermarket and grocery stores" | " 98923000" |
| "Pharmaceutical and other store-based retailing" | " 53528000" |
| "Specialised food retailing" | " 20032000" |
| "Furniture | " 4838000" |
| floor coverings | " -4859000" |
| houseware | " -7123000" |
| and textile goods" | " -10247000" |
| "Department stores" | " -21267000" |
| "Fuel retailing" | " -33128000" |
| "Liquor retailing" | " -35680000" |
| "Hardware | " -36853000" |
| building | " -49154000" |
| and garden supplies" | " -49385000" |
| "Recreational goods retailing" | " -93237000" |
| "Non-store and commission-based retailing" | "-128151000" |
| "Accommodation" | |
| "Clothing | |
| footwear | |
| and personal accessories" | |
| "Food and beverage services" | |
| "Motor vehicle and parts retailing" | |
| "Electrical and electronic goods retailing" |
Retail sales per person falls
The total volume of retail sales per person fell 1.5 percent in the June 2024 quarter compared with the March 2024 quarter. This is the tenth consecutive quarter to see a fall, after adjusting for seasonal effects and price inflation.
| Quarter | $ |
| Jun-04 | 3736 |
| Sep-04 | 3830 |
| Dec-04 | 3853 |
| Mar-05 | 3875 |
| Jun-05 | 3895 |
| Sep-05 | 3962 |
| Dec-05 | 3904 |
| Mar-06 | 3960 |
| Jun-06 | 3950 |
| Sep-06 | 4000 |
| Dec-06 | 4097 |
| Mar-07 | 4184 |
| Jun-07 | 4170 |
| Sep-07 | 4138 |
| Dec-07 | 4085 |
| Mar-08 | 4061 |
| Jun-08 | 3949 |
| Sep-08 | 3920 |
| Dec-08 | 3854 |
| Mar-09 | 3754 |
| Jun-09 | 3776 |
| Sep-09 | 3802 |
| Dec-09 | 3825 |
| Mar-10 | 3847 |
| Jun-10 | 3850 |
| Sep-10 | 3833 |
| Dec-10 | 3787 |
| Mar-11 | 3829 |
| Jun-11 | 3845 |
| Sep-11 | 3923 |
| Dec-11 | 3971 |
| Mar-12 | 3929 |
| Jun-12 | 4000 |
| Sep-12 | 4002 |
| Dec-12 | 4055 |
| Mar-13 | 4092 |
| Jun-13 | 4138 |
| Sep-13 | 4147 |
| Dec-13 | 4169 |
| Mar-14 | 4185 |
| Jun-14 | 4221 |
| Sep-14 | 4277 |
| Dec-14 | 4319 |
| Mar-15 | 4409 |
| Jun-15 | 4366 |
| Sep-15 | 4418 |
| Dec-15 | 4454 |
| Mar-16 | 4475 |
| Jun-16 | 4533 |
| Sep-16 | 4568 |
| Dec-16 | 4602 |
| Mar-17 | 4648 |
| Jun-17 | 4692 |
| Sep-17 | 4695 |
| Dec-17 | 4721 |
| Mar-18 | 4705 |
| Jun-18 | 4749 |
| Sep-18 | 4739 |
| Dec-18 | 4793 |
| Mar-19 | 4797 |
| Jun-19 | 4806 |
| Sep-19 | 4867 |
| Dec-19 | 4860 |
| Mar-20 | 4810 |
| Jun-20 | 4027 |
| Sep-20 | 5127 |
| Dec-20 | 5030 |
| Mar-21 | 5118 |
| Jun-21 | 5321 |
| Sep-21 | 4835 |
| Dec-21 | 5245 |
| Mar-22 | 5218 |
| Jun-22 | 5123 |
| Sep-22 | 5063 |
| Dec-22 | 4998 |
| Mar-23 | 4908 |
| Jun-23 | 4855 |
| Sep-23 | 4774 |
| Dec-23 | 4660 |
| Mar-24 | 4659 |
| Jun-24 | 4591 |
"Retail sale volumes per person has been falling for the last two-and-a-half years. The last time we saw several quarters of consistent falls was between 2007 and 2009, which coincided with the global financial crisis," Ho said.
