New Zealand retail spending on electronic cards fell in November, amid disruption from the Kaikoura earthquake. Photo / Mark Mitchell
New Zealand retail spending on electronic cards fell in November, snapping two consecutive months of gains, amid disruption from the Kaikoura earthquake.
Retail spending dropped a seasonally adjusted 0.3 percent last month, after a 0.6 per cent gain in October and a 2.1 per cent rise in September, Statistics New
Zealand said. Actual retail spending climbed 5.1 per cent to $5.2 billion in November from the same month a year earlier, the agency said.
Core retail spending, which excludes vehicle-related industries, dropped 0.4 per cent in November from October, with apparel spending down 3.2 per cent, its biggest monthly drop since a 3.5 per cent decline in July 2013.
Spending on durables fell 0.7 per cent, and hospitality dropped 0.3 per cent, while consumable spending bucked the trend, up 0.8 per cent.
The statistics agency said it wasn't yet sure how sales may have been affected by the November 14 Kaikoura earthquake, which caused ongoing disruption in central Wellington.
