Card spending grows amidst winter chills

During June 2012 electronic card spending in New Zealand increased 0.3 percent, when adjusted for seasonal effects, Statistics New Zealand said today.

"The latest month's increase was concentrated in core retailing, which was up 0.9 percent. Hospitality and consumables were showing the largest increases," acting industry and labour statistics manager Tehseen Islam said.

Three of the four core retail industries had rises in June:

• hospitality (includes accommodation, bars, and restaurants), up 3.1 percent ($19 million)
• consumables (includes food and liquor retailing), up 1.0 percent ($15 million)
• durables (includes hardware, appliances, and pharmacies), up 0.5 percent ($5 million)
• apparel (includes clothing and footwear), down 0.3 percent ($1 million).

Fuel had the largest decrease in June, with a 4.0 percent drop in spending ($26 million). This follows a 4.4 percent rise the previous month.

Total retail spending rose 0.4 percent.

The trends for the core retail, total retail, and total series have increased, and the rates of increase have strengthened in recent months.

See also:

Electronic Card Transactions: June 2012  –  Information release