Stats NZ has released data from March regarding Kiwi's retail spending. The results show an overall steady amount of retail spending throughout the month, with one industry showing a significant increase.
Department stores showed higher spending in the month of March, increasing by over 4 percent.
Retail Statistics Manager, Sue Chapman, released a statement unpacking this report. "Consumer-spending patterns may reflect more gift-buying at department stores rather than spending on traditional florist or jewellery stores," she explained. The sector showed a strong recovery after it's substantial fall in December of 2018.
However, industries on a downward trend included pharmaceutical and other store-based retailing, including cosmetics stores. This sector showed a 5.7 percent decline, and Chapman shared that a likely cause was the dip in international visitors' numbers, which coincided with the period.
The pharmaceutical and other store-based retailing industry also suffered a substantial drop in sales value, despite the country's overall numbers rising. The industry fell 8.5 percent, equally $131 million, following the impressive 11 percent rise last December.
Department stores, on the other hand, witnessed a 2.9 percent increase, to the equal of $39 million.
