Retail sales up 0.7 per cent in April

Seasonally adjusted retail sales rose 0.7 per cent in April compared to March, Statistics New Zealand said today.

This rise followed a 0.3 per cent fall in March.

Excluding motor vehicle-related industries, seasonally adjusted retail sales rose 0.2 per cent.

Total actual retail sales in April were $4.71 billion.

Statistics New Zealand said purchasing patterns in some industries may have been affected by the Easter break falling in March this year, instead of April.

The biggest gainers for the month were retail sales of clothing and softgoods up 7.1 per cent or $14 million; auto electrical, smash repair and tyre retailing up 12.2 per cent or $13 million; and appliance retailing up 4.1 per cent or $8 million.

These industries all rebounded from decreases in March.

The biggest decrease in April was in department store sales, which fell 10.9 per cent or $33 million.

The retail sales trend has shown an average monthly increase of 0.5 per cent since May 1998.

On a regional basis since February this year, the trend has shown strongest growth in Canterbury and Auckland, but has been relatively flat for Wellington.

- NZPA