Taylor Swift's concert boosts Australian retail sales by 0.3% in February

The clothing, footwear and personal accessories sector saw the biggest growth.

The seven-day sold-out Taylor Swift concert has boosted retail sales in Australia, increasing by 0.3% in February, data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) showed.

In a statement, ABS Head of Retail Statistics Ben Dorber said Australia saw over 600,000 Swifties attending the concerts in Sydney and Melbourne, boosting spending on clothing, merchandise, accessories and dining out.

“Looking past the temporary and one-off impact of the Taylor Swift concerts, underlying growth in retail turnover was up only 0.1% in trend terms. After a period of higher volatility from November through to January, underlying spending has stagnated.”

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Per industry, clothing, footwear and personal accessories saw the largest increase at 4.2%, followed by department stores at 2.3%.

Cafes, restaurants, and takeaway food services had a modest growth at 0.5% which is also linked to the Taylor Swift concerts.

“Fashion and accessory retailers told us offerings of Taylor Swift-inspired outfits and related do-it-yourself accessories added to turnover in February,” Dorber said.