Growth in electronic card spending was modest in February 2019 after fluctuating in recent months, Stats NZ said today.
When adjusted for seasonal effects, total retail card spending was up 0.9 percent in February. This follows a 1.8 percent rise in January.
| Month | Percentage |
| Feb-16 | 1.3 |
| Mar-16 | 0.4 |
| Apr-16 | 0.8 |
| May-16 | -0.1 |
| Jun-16 | 1 |
| Jul-16 | 0.7 |
| Aug-16 | -1 |
| Sep-16 | 1.6 |
| Oct-16 | 0.6 |
| Nov-16 | -0.2 |
| Dec-16 | 0.1 |
| Jan-17 | 1.6 |
| Feb-17 | -0.1 |
| Mar-17 | -0.1 |
| Apr-17 | 1 |
| May-17 | -0.3 |
| Jun-17 | -0.1 |
| Jul-17 | -0.1 |
| Aug-17 | 0.2 |
| Sep-17 | 0.2 |
| Oct-17 | 0.5 |
| Nov-17 | 1.2 |
| Dec-17 | 0.3 |
| Jan-18 | 0.6 |
| Feb-18 | 0.2 |
| Mar-18 | 1.8 |
| Apr-18 | -2 |
| May-18 | 0.6 |
| Jun-18 | 0.9 |
| Jul-18 | 0.2 |
| Aug-18 | 1.2 |
| Sep-18 | 0.9 |
| Oct-18 | 0 |
| Nov-18 | -0.5 |
| Dec-18 | -2.3 |
| Jan-19 | 1.8 |
| Feb-19 | 0.9 |
"The rise in card spending was driven by people spending more on groceries and liquor," retail manager Sue Chapman said.
Spending rose across five of the six retail industries. The largest movements were:
- consumables (groceries and liquor), up $19 million (1.0 percent)
- fuel, up $7.4 million (1.3 percent)
- hospitality, up $7.0 million (0.7 percent).
| Industry | $ |
| Consumables | 19435000 |
| Fuel | 7407000 |
| Hospitality | 6992000 |
| Vehicles (excluding fuel) | 4594000 |
| Apparel | 2814000 |
| Durables | -2495000 |
| Services | 973000 |
| Non-retail (excluding services) | -12757000 |
"The rise in fuel spending coincided with a gradual increase in fuel prices, after a period of lower fuel prices," Ms Chapman said.
"Sales of durables such as furniture, hardware, and appliances, as well as clothes and shoes, appear to have levelled out in February, after a more volatile patch in December and January."
Core retail spending (which excludes the fuel and vehicle-related industries) rose 0.9 percent in February 2019.
Non-retail spending (excluding services) is down $13 million (0.8 percent). This industry includes travel, health, and wholesaling.
Actual retail spending using electronic cards was $5.1 billion in February 2019, up $168 million (3.4 percent) from February 2018.
Values are only available at the national level, and are not adjusted for price changes.
