Wholesale trade sales up in June quarter

Seasonally adjusted total wholesale trade sales rose 1.4 per cent in the June quarter, Statistics New Zealand said today.

Once again the increase was driven by petroleum product wholesaling (up 9.3 per cent) which contributed over half the total increase.

The second largest rise was in primary product food wholesaling (up 7.1 per cent), followed by metal and mineral wholesaling (up 16.6 per cent).

These rises were partly offset by falls in food and grocery product wholesaling (down 1.6 per cent), and motor vehicle wholesaling (down 2.6 per cent).

Sales in the June quarter were up 2.2 percent from the June 2005 quarter. That compares with a 3.3 percent rise in the March quarter over a year earlier and a 5.8 percent rise in the June 2005 quarter over June quarter 2004.

- NZPA