Electronic card spending down in August

The seasonally adjusted value of total electronic card transactions decreased 0.5 percent in August 2011, Statistics New Zealand said today. The value of transactions fell in five industry groups, with fuel retailing recording the only significant rise.

Core retail (which excludes the motor vehicle-related industries) was down 1.0 percent in August 2011. This follows increases in both June and July. There were falls in all core industry groups this month, with durables (down 2.4 percent) showing the largest fall. The durables industry includes furniture, hardware, and appliance retailing.

When the two vehicle-related industries are included, the value of transactions in retail decreased 0.7 percent. Fuel retailing was up 1.6 percent in August 2011 after falls in each of the preceding three months. These falls came after eight consecutive monthly rises.

When the two industries that fall outside retail (non-retail and services) are included, the total value of transactions decreased 0.5 percent.

Trends for the value of transactions in the total and retail series have been increasing since January 2009, but have flattened in recent months. The core retail trend has generally been increasing since the series began in October 2002, but has eased gradually since April 2011.