New Zealand retail spending grew at its fastest quarterly pace since December 2006 as the inflow of tourists for the Rugby World Cup bolstered consumer demand. The kiwi dollar gained on the report.

The total volume of spending grew 2.2 per cent to $16.97 billion in the three months ended Sept. 30, according to Statistics New Zealand, beating the 0.7 per cent forecast in a Reuters survey of economists. Stripping out motor vehicle related spending, the core figure climbed 2.4 per cent.

The value of retail spending, which accounts for both sales volume growth and price hikes, climbed 2.1 per cent in the quarter to $17.32 billion, and was up 2.7 per cent when excluding auto-related spending.

Did the Rugby World Cup create good business for you? Here is the latest selection of Your Views:

  1. your views
  2. Paul says
    "Business has been down more than normal and this is the common scenario for many businesses around the CBD (unless you are near The Cloud)."
  3. Mark says
    "Business was great before the World Cup but has been in freefall since September 9. Roll on the final so we can all get back to normal."
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