Australian retail turnover fell 2.7 per cent (seasonally adjusted) in December 2023, according to figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
This follows a revised rise of 1.6 per cent in November 2023 and a fall of 0.2 per cent in October 2023. Revisions to seasonally adjusted data are larger than usual this month, reflecting improvements in the data as the evolving seasonal pattern becomes clearer.
Ben Dorber, ABS head of retail statistics, said: "The large fall in retail turnover in December was caused by a fall in discretionary spending. Consumers brought forward some of their usual December spending to November to take advantage of Black Friday sales.
"This shift in spending from December to November reflects the growing popularity of Black Friday sales and the impact of cost-of-living pressures, with consumers seeking out bargains and taking advantage of discounts in November.
"While there was a large seasonally adjusted fall in December, retail turnover rose 0.1 per cent in trend terms. This shows that underlying retail spending remains subdued when we look through the volatile movements over recent months in the lead up to Christmas."
| Month | Seasonally adjusted ($m) | Trend ($m) |
|---|---|---|
| Dec-19 | 27,913.7 | 27,806.1 |
| Jan-20 | 27,845.6 | 27,863.5 |
| Feb-20 | 27,863.6 | 27,926.8 |
| Mar-20 | 29,924.1 | |
| Apr-20 | 24,799.6 | |
| May-20 | 28,786.2 | |
| Jun-20 | 29,637.4 | |
| Jul-20 | 30,770.6 | |
| Aug-20 | 29,490.0 | |
| Sep-20 | 29,117.5 | |
| Oct-20 | 29,723.2 | |
| Nov-20 | 31,272.2 | |
| Dec-20 | 30,845.1 | |
| Jan-21 | 30,784.2 | |
| Feb-21 | 30,412.1 | |
| Mar-21 | 30,612.0 | |
| Apr-21 | 30,920.9 | |
| May-21 | 30,993.0 | |
| Jun-21 | 30,564.5 | |
| Jul-21 | 29,791.6 | |
| Aug-21 | 29,212.4 | |
| Sep-21 | 29,729.6 | |
| Oct-21 | 31,221.0 | |
| Nov-21 | 32,891.4 | |
| Dec-21 | 32,438.1 | |
| Jan-22 | 32,848.2 | |
| Feb-22 | 33,186.0 | |
| Mar-22 | 33,537.8 | |
| Apr-22 | 33,827.7 | |
| May-22 | 34,033.7 | |
| Jun-22 | 34,420.6 | |
| Jul-22 | 34,639.1 | 34,631.8 |
| Aug-22 | 34,835.9 | 34,841.7 |
| Sep-22 | 34,974.0 | 35,004.0 |
| Oct-22 | 35,203.3 | 35,120.1 |
| Nov-22 | 35,363.8 | 35,193.6 |
| Dec-22 | 34,914.2 | 35,241.7 |
| Jan-23 | 35,365.1 | 35,275.4 |
| Feb-23 | 35,348.4 | 35,296.4 |
| Mar-23 | 35,325.9 | 35,305.0 |
| Apr-23 | 35,262.0 | 35,309.9 |
| May-23 | 35,438.3 | 35,310.5 |
| Jun-23 | 35,204.6 | 35,338.6 |
| Jul-23 | 35,335.8 | 35,402.0 |
| Aug-23 | 35,433.0 | 35,492.7 |
| Sep-23 | 35,670.1 | 35,575.8 |
| Oct-23 | 35,592.6 | 35,635.5 |
| Nov-23 | 36,147.3 | 35,667.0 |
| Dec-23 | 35,187.2 | 35,690.9 |
Turnover fell in all the non-food industries that had been boosted by Black Friday sales in November. Household goods retailing (-8.5 per cent) had the largest fall, following the largest rise last month. The next biggest drops were in department stores (-8.1 per cent), clothing footwear and personal accessory retailing (-5.7 per cent), and other retailing (-1.1 per cent).
"Retailers told us that trading conditions were slow in early December following the success of Black Friday before picking up again in the lead up to Christmas and Boxing Day sales where discounting activity returned," Mr Dorber said.
| Industry | Nov-23 (%) | Dec-23 (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Food retailing | 0 | 0.1 |
| Household goods retailing | 6.5 | -8.5 |
| Clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing | 2.2 | -5.7 |
| Department stores | 4.1 | -8.1 |
| Other retailing | 0.8 | -1.1 |
| Cafes, restaurants and takeaway food services | -0.2 | -1.1 |
| Total | 1.6 | -2.7 |
For food-related industries, turnover fell in cafes, restaurants and takeaway food services (-1.1 per cent), while food retailing (0.1 per cent) was the only industry to rise.
Retail turnover fell across the country with large falls in all states and territories, the majority down by more than 2.0 per cent.
| State | Nov-23 (%) | Dec-23 (%) |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | 0.9 | -2.1 |
| Victoria | 1.7 | -3.2 |
| Queensland | 1.9 | -2.3 |
| South Australia | 1.9 | -2.9 |
| Western Australia | 1.9 | -3.8 |
| Tasmania | 0.9 | -0.3 |
| Northern Territory | 2.5 | -3.0 |
| Australian Capital Territory | 2.2 | -3.8 |
| Total | 1.6 | -2.7 |
Additional information on the December reference period, including quarterly price and volume data, will be released on 6 February 2024.
The ABS would like to thank businesses for their continued support in responding to our surveys.
