8501.0 - Retail Trade, Australia, Sep 2017  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 03/11/2017   
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MEDIA RELEASE
3 November 2017
Embargoed: 11.30 am (Canberra time)
147/2017

Retail turnover relatively unchanged in September

Australian retail turnover was relatively unchanged (0.0 per cent) in September 2017, seasonally adjusted, according to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Retail Trade figures.

This follows a fall of -0.5 per cent in August 2017.

In seasonally adjusted terms, there were rises in food retailing (0.6 per cent), department stores (2.1 per cent), and cafes, restaurants and takeaway food services (0.3 per cent). There were falls in other retailing (-1.7 per cent), household goods retailing (-0.4 per cent), and clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing (-0.7 per cent) in September 2017.

In seasonally adjusted terms, there were rises in New South Wales (0.2 per cent), Queensland (0.3 per cent), South Australia (0.7 per cent), Tasmania (0.6 per cent), and the Australian Capital Territory (0.1 per cent). There were falls in Western Australia (-1.3 per cent), and the Northern Territory (1.7 per cent). Victoria was relatively unchanged (0.0 per cent).

The trend estimate for Australian retail turnover was relatively unchanged (0.0 per cent) in September 2017 and relatively unchanged (0.0 per cent) in August 2017. Compared to September 2016 the trend estimate rose 2.0 per cent.

Online retail turnover contributed 4.4 per cent to total retail turnover in original terms.

In seasonally adjusted volume terms, turnover rose 0.1 per cent in the September quarter 2017, following a rise of 1.5 per cent in the June quarter 2017. “The main contributor to the quarterly volume rise was food retailing (0.9 per cent) but there was also rises in clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing (0.7 per cent) and other retailing (0.4 per cent),” said Ben James, the Director of Quarterly Economy Wide Surveys. “A fall in Household goods retailing (-1.6 per cent) offset these rises.”

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

Media note:
· For a detailed definition of each industry group and subgroup in terms of its ANZSIC 2006 classes, please refer to paragraph 6 of the Explanatory Notes.
· Estimates of online retail turnover are only available in original terms and are not available in seasonally adjusted or trend terms.
· Along with the monthly current price estimates that reflect both price and volume changes, the March, June, September and December publications also present quarterly estimates that reflect volume and price changes separately.
· When reporting ABS data you must attribute the Australian Bureau of Statistics (or the ABS) as the source.
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