Australian retail sales continue downward trend in March quarter

Clothing, footwear, and personal accessory retailing saw the most significant increase at 1.3 per cent, followed by other retailing sectors which rose by 0.5 per cent.

The March quarter's results mark the fourth consecutive quarter of year-on-year declines, with retail volumes now 1.3 per cent lower than the same quarter in 2023. On a per capita basis, retail volumes have fallen for the seventh consecutive quarter, registering a 1 per cent drop from the previous quarter and a significant 3.6 per cent decline compared to last year, as per ABS.

Retail prices saw a noticeable increase, rising by 0.6 per cent in the March quarter, a rise from the 0.2 per cent increase seen in the December quarter, according to the consumer price index data.

Geographically, the majority of Australian states and territories experienced a fall in retail volumes. However, the Northern Territory and Tasmania bucked this trend, recording rises of 0.5 per cent and 0.3 per cent respectively.

“Retail sales volumes fell for the fifth time in the past six quarters. The only rise in volumes over the past 18 months was the December quarter last year as extensive discounting from Black Friday sales boosted volumes,” said Ben Dorber, ABS head of retail statistics.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DP)