Quarterly summary September 2016
The total quarterly retail spend for the 91 days ending 28 September 2016 was $11.1 billion. This is a decrease of 1.7% compared to the previous quarter and an increase of 3.4% when compared to the same period last year.
When compared to the previous quarter, spend increased in Recreation & Entertainment (+2.5%), Cafés, Restaurants & Bars (+0.8%) and Home & Building Supplies (+0.3%) categories only. The greatest decreases in spend were in Clothing & Footwear (-13.5%) and Department Stores (-7.8%) when compared to the previous quarter.
Increases in spend when compared to the same quarter last year were led by Recreation & Entertainment (+10.3%), Home & Building Supplies (+8.7%) and Cafés, Restaurants & Bars (+8.5%). Fuel & Service Stations (-7.1%) and Books & Stationery Stores (-4.2%) were the only categories where spend decreased when compared to the same quarter last year