MEDIA RELEASE

March 31, 2010

Embargo: 11.30 am (CANBERRA TIME) 31/03/2010

35/2010

ABS retail sales fell 1.4% in February 2010

The latest ABS retail trade figures show that sales in February fell 1.4%, seasonally adjusted, compared with a rise of 1.1% the previous month.

Sales fell, in seasonally adjusted terms, across five industry groups: Department Stores (-3.9%), Clothing, Footwear & Other Personal Accessory Retailing (-3.9%), Food Retailing (-1.7%), Household Goods Retailing (-1.3%) and Other Retailing (-0.8%). Sales rose in Cafes, Restaurants & Takeaway Food Services (1.8%).

NSW (-2.5%) recorded the biggest decline in sales in February, followed by South Australia (-1.7%), Western Australia (-1.4%), Victoria (-0.9%), the Australian Capital Territory (-0.9%) and Queensland (-0.8%). Sales in Tasmania (1.5%) and the Northern Territory (0.8%) rose in February 2010.

Trend turnover for February 2010 rose 0.1%.

Further information is available in Retail Trade, Australia (cat no. 8501.0) on the ABS website www.abs.gov.au

Media Note: When reporting ABS data you must attribute the Australian Bureau of Statistics (or ABS) as the source