The retail trade figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) today revealed that sales for January remained sluggish but were an improvement on the December 2017 slump. The ABS figures show that retail turnover rose by 0.1 per cent seasonally adjusted in January, following a drop of 0.5 per cent in December last […]
Aussie shoppers splurge record $47.5 billion during Christmas, according to ABS
December 2017 retail sales data released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has revealed that Australians splurged a record $47.5 billion during the 2017 Christmas period. The figures closely align with the pre-Christmas forecasts made by peak retail industry body the National Retail Association (NRA), who predicted $48 billion in sales over Christmas. […]
October ABS figures show retail in solid position for Christmas
Today the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released its retail figures for October which show an increase in retail turnover of 0.5 per cent, seasonally adjusted. NRA CEO Dominique Lamb said that the figures show that retail is awakening from its slumber following sluggish results in previous months. “Australian retail had experienced three consecutive months […]
ABS retail figures show stable period for July 2017
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) retail trade figures for July 2017 released earlier today show a stable start for the industry in the second-half of the year. For the month of July, the trend estimate for Australian turnover rose by 0.3 per cent, closely in line with 0.4 per cent increases recorded in May […]
June ABS figures show signs of strengthening retail sector
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has today released its retail trade figures for June 2017 which show signs of a strengthening retail industry, after 12 months of softened growth. According to the ABS, the seasonally adjusted trend rose a slight 0.3 per cent in seasonally adjusted terms from the previous month following a rise […]
Retail Figures Remain Steady According to ABS Stats for May
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) retail trade figures for May 2017 has shown a steady rise of 0.6% turnover, seasonally adjusted. NRA CEO Dominique Lamb said that while retail was experiencing a quiet period, the industry remains in steady shape and should continue to pick up following the introduction of reduced Sunday Penalty Rates. […]
April Figures Show Marginal Growth for Retail Trade
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) retail trade figures for April 2017 released today show minimal growth from March, indicating that the retail industry is still amidst trying times. According to the ABS, retail turnover rose 1.0 per cent during April following a fall of 0.2 per cent in March 2017. In seasonally adjusted trend […]
February Retail Figures Show Narrow Growth
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) retail trade figures for February released today show negligible change from the previous month, indicating that the retail sector is still operating in a challenging environment. According to the ABS, the seasonally adjusted trend estimate fell 0.1 per cent in February. In trend terms, each state experienced a narrow […]
Message from the CEO: 14 February 2017
Last week the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released its retail trade figures for the month of December 2016 and the results demonstrated that the National Retail Association was close to spot-on with its Christmas trade period projection. In November, we forecast that for the Christmas trade period – which encompasses half of November and all […]
Message from the CEO: 16 January 2017
As the excesses of Christmas and New Year make way for positive resolutions for the year ahead (eating healthily and exercising more always seem to top those lists!), we’ve continued receiving great feedback from our members on the pre-Christmas spending and Boxing Day sales periods, particularly in areas now able to trade with fewer restrictions, […]
Message from the CEO: 12 December 2016
Earlier in the week, GDP figures were released for the September quarter which showed a contraction of 0.5 per cent for the Australian economy. While it certainly isn’t time to hit the panic buttons just yet, this should serve as a reminder to all of us in the retail industry not to be complacent when […]
Message from the CEO: 5 December 2016
The positive signs for the end-of-year trading period continue to pop up, with two more pieces of data pointing to a merry Christmas for Australian retail. Early last week, the ANZ/Roy Morgan consumer confidence rating showed households are feel positive about their finances. Consumer confidence levels were well above the average for the last two […]
Sales figures show retailers on track for record Christmas spend
MEDIA RELEASE The retail industry is on track for record sales during the Christmas trade period, according to the latest round of retail figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The ABS figures for October 2016 reveal that retail turnover rose by 0.5 per cent, seasonally adjusted, which follows a rise of […]
Message from the CEO: 28 November 2016
This week will we see the final release of trade data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics before the Christmas and Boxing Day trading period. It should give us a clearer indication of how consumer sentiment is tracking as we move into the most important month of the year for retail. An analysis released by […]
ABS: Retail turnover increases in September
Australian retail turnover rose 0.6 per cent in September 2016, seasonally adjusted, according to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Retail Trade figures. This follows a rise of 0.5 per cent in August 2016. In seasonally adjusted terms, there were rises in household goods retailing (2.3 per cent), cafes, restaurants and takeaway food services […]
Slight increase in August retail sector
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) retail trade figures released today show a slight increase on the July 2016 figures, but still demonstrate that the sector is experiencing a flat period. In seasonally adjusted terms, retail turnover rose by 0.4 per cent in August, which follows the stagnant figures recorded for July 2016. Seasonally adjusted, […]
Flat trend continues for retail
According to the latest report from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) for retail trade in July 2016, retail trade figures have continued the flat trend that they finished the 2015-16 financial year with. Seasonally adjusted, retail turnover for July 2016 remained more or less unchanged at 0.0 per cent, which follows a rise of […]
ABS finds retail continues flat trend
According to the latest report from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) for retail trade in July 2016, retail trade figures have continued the flat trend that they finished the 2015-16 financial year with. Seasonally adjusted, retail turnover for July 2016 remained more or less unchanged at 0.0 per cent, which follows a rise of […]
Message from the CEO: 5 September 2016
Last week’s retail trade data may not have been the most high-profile activity performed by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in recent months. That honour clearly went to the national Census. But in terms of outcomes, this exercise was almost as disappointing! The ABS reported that retail trade flatlined in July – in official terms, […]