8501.0 - Retail Trade, Australia, Aug 2019  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 04/10/2019   
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MEDIA RELEASE
04 October 2019
Embargoed: 11:30 am (Canberra time)

Retail turnover rises 0.4 per cent in August

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

This follows a relatively unchanged result (0.0 per cent) in July 2019.

"Food retailing (0.4 per cent) led the rises," said Ben James, Director of Quarterly Economy Wide Surveys "while there were also rises in clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing (1.8 per cent), department stores (1.1 per cent), household goods retailing (0.3 per cent), and other retailing (0.3 per cent). The rises were partly offset by a fall in cafes, restaurants and takeaway services (-0.3 per cent)".

In seasonally adjusted terms, there were rises in Queensland (0.8 per cent), New South Wales (0.3 per cent), Victoria (0.3 per cent), South Australia (0.6 per cent), the Australian Capital Territory (1.9 per cent), and Tasmania (0.2 per cent). There were minor falls in Western Australia (-0.1 per cent) and the Northern Territory (-0.1 per cent).

The trend estimate for Australian retail turnover rose 0.1 per cent in August 2019, following a 0.2 per cent rise in July 2019. Compared to August 2018, the trend estimate rose 2.3 per cent.

Online retail turnover contributed 6.2 per cent to total retail turnover in original terms in August 2019. In August 2018, online retail turnover contributed 5.6 per cent to total retail.

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

Media note:

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