"Averaging through last month's dip, today's result suggests retail sales continuing the pace of growth they have seen since the beginning of the year."
- National Australia Bank
After a decline in July, Australian retail sales jumped up again, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported on Friday. More precisely, the total value of retail sales gained a seasonally adjusted 0.4% on a monthly basis in August 2015, following a fall of 0.1% in July. The August figure was in line with analysts' forecasts. The total retail spending in the eighth month of the year accounted for A$24.4 billion, up from July's A$24.3 billion. According to ABS, the sector that has contributed the most to the growth in retail spending was food retailing, which rose by 0.6%. Other retailing, along with department store sales, was up 1.3%, while household goods retailing registered an increase of 0.2%. In contrast to that, clothing, footwear, and personal accessory retailing dropped 1.4%, whereas cafes, restaurants, and takeaway food services slid 0.3%.
On a regional basis, retail sales were led by New South Wales and Victoria, with a rise of 0.4% and 0.3%, respectively. In Western Australia sales stepped up by 0.2%, while both in Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory they were up by 0.1%. As regards Queensland and South Australia, these regions remained more or less unchanged, whereas the Northern Territory posted a fall of 0.1%.
© Dukascopy Bank SA