MEDIA RELEASE
02 August 2019	Embargoed: 11:30 am (Canberra time)

Australian retail turnover rose 0.4 per cent in June 2019, seasonally adjusted, according to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Retail Trade figures.

This follows a 0.1 per cent rise in May 2019.

"There were rises in five of the six industries this month, although overall the retail environment remains subdued" said Ben James, Director of Quarterly Economy Wide Surveys. "Rises were seen in Clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing (2.0 per cent), Other retailing (0.6 per cent), Cafes, restaurants and takeaway services (0.5 per cent), Food retailing (0.1 per cent) and Household goods retailing (0.2 per cent). Department stores (-0.6 per cent) was the only industry to fall this month".

In seasonally adjusted terms, there were rises in New South Wales (0.3 per cent), Western Australia (0.8 per cent), Queensland (0.4 per cent), Victoria (0.3 per cent), Tasmania (1.5 per cent), and the Australian Capital Territory (0.3 per cent). South Australia (-0.3 per cent) and the Northern Territory (-0.2 per cent) fell in seasonally adjusted terms in June 2019.

The trend estimate for Australian retail turnover rose 0.2 per cent in June 2019, following a rise of 0.2 per cent in May 2019. Compared to June 2018, the trend estimate rose 2.7 per cent.

Online retail turnover contributed 6.1 per cent to total retail turnover in original terms in June 2019. In June 2018 online retail turnover contributed 5.7 per cent to total retail.

For the June quarter 2019, there was a rise of 0.2 per cent in seasonally adjusted volume terms. This follows a fall of 0.1 per cent in the March quarter 2019. The quarterly rise in volumes was led by Department stores (1.4 per cent), Cafes, restaurants and takeaway food services (0.5 per cent), Clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing (0.7 per cent), Other retailing (0.4 per cent), and Household goods retailing (0.1 per cent). Food retailing (-0.4 per cent) fell in seasonally adjusted volume terms.

More detailed industry analysis and further information on the statistical methodology is available in Retail Trade, Australia (cat no. 8501.0).