Retail sales in Australia remain flat in February

It rose by 0.2% in February, following a 1.8% growth in the previous month. 

Retail sales in Australia inched up by 0.2% in February, after a 1.8% growth in the previous month, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reported.

ABS Head of Retail Statistics Ben Dorber noted this shows that retail sales have levelled out after a period of increased volatility in November, December, and January. 

“On average, retail spending has been flat through the end of 2022 and to begin the new year,” he said. 

“Spending in food related industries continued to grow steadily in February, with cafes restaurants, and takeaway food services up 0.5%, while food retailing rose 0.2%.”

Read more: Australia’s retail sales rebound by 1.9% in January

Meanwhile, results in the non-food industry were mixed, which Dorber linked to the pull back on discretionary spending amongst consumers. 

Of the non-food industries, department stores rose 1% in February, followed by clothing, footwear, and personal accessory retailing (+0.6%). 

Other retailing was the only industry to record a fall this month, down 0.4%, while household goods retailing remained relatively unchanged.