Retail sales fell a seasonally adjusted 0.5 per cent in July from June, as vehicle fuel sales declined while vehicle sales lifted.
Releasing the data today, Statistics New Zealand (SNZ) said a 2.9 per cent, or $15 million, fall in vehicle fuel sales coincided with falls in both petrol and diesel prices.
Vehicle sales had the biggest increase of all retail industries, with sales lifting 2.1 per cent, or $11m.
While the sales trend for vehicle retailing showed a 2.6 per cent rise since March, the level was 25.3 per cent lower than June 2007, which marked the start of a period of 21 months of decline, SNZ said.
In core retailing, which excludes the four vehicle-related industries, sales fell 0.5 per cent, or $20m.
In the core industries, the biggest movers were department stores, down 2.2 per cent or $7m, recreational goods up 3.3 per cent or $7m, and accommodation also up 3.3 per cent or $7m.
Of the 20 core industries, 13 showed sales decreases in July, SNZ said.
The total retail sales trend had increased 0.9 per cent since February after falling 3.3 per cent between February 2008 and February 2009.
The core retail sales trend had been rising since September 1995 at an average of 0.4 per cent per month, but that rate of increase had slowed to 0.2 per cent per month since December 2006.
Seasonally adjusted sales were up 0.8 per cent in Auckland, but down in all other regions.
- NZPA
