Some Background on this Report
Total retail spend in New Zealand for the 28 days ending 28 July 2016 was $3.4 billion. This represents a decrease of 0.7% compared to the previous month and an increase of 4.3% compared to the same period last year. Categories which saw an increase in spend compared to the previous month were Recreation & Entertainment (+13.4%), Books & Stationery Stores (+8.5%), Café/Restaurants/Bars (+3.3%) and Travel & Accommodation (+0.6%). The greatest decreases in spend compared to the previous month were in Clothing & Footwear (-9.9%), Department Stores (-5.3%) and Furniture/Appliances/Electronics (-5.1%). Most categories saw an increase in spend when compared to the same period last year. The greatest increases were in Recreation & Entertainment (+13.3%), Home & Building Supplies (+11.9%) and Café/Restaurants/Bars (+10.1%). Fuel/Service Stations (-7.6%) and Books & Stationery Stores (-3.7%) were the only categories to see a year on year decrease in spend this month