KEY POINTS:
Seasonally adjusted New Zealand total wholesale trade sales for the September 2006 quarter increased 2.6 per cent, figures released today by Statistics New Zealand (SNZ) show.
The largest contributor to the increase in seasonally adjusted sales was primary product food wholesaling, which was up $166 million or 9.9 per cent.
That was followed by farm and construction machinery, professional and business equipment which lifted $121m or 7.9 per cent.
Seasonally adjusted decreases included food and grocery product wholesaling, down $23m or 0.7 per cent, and pharmaceutical and toiletry wholesaling, down $19m or 2.2 per cent.
Seasonally adjusted petroleum product retailing wholesale sales had their smallest rise since the March 2005 quarter, lifting just 1.2 per cent or $22m.
That compared with rises of 9.3 per cent and 6.4 per cent respectively in each of the two preceding quarters.
In the three quarters so far in 2006 the total sales trend had increased 5.1 per cent, following a flat period in the second half of 2005, SNZ said.
Seasonally adjusted wholesale trade stocks rose 2.9 per cent in the September 2006 quarter, to reach $9.87 billion, following a 2.1 per cent rise in the previous quarter.
The higher value of stocks in the latest quarter was largely due to increases in the petroleum product industry, up $128m, and the farm and construction machinery, professional and business equipment industry, up $94m.
- NZPA
