New Zealand retail spending on electronic cards rose across all industries for the first time in seven months in June.
Seasonally adjusted retail spending on credit and debit cards rose 0.8 per cent in June following a 0.6 per cent lift in May, Statistics New Zealand said. Core retail spending, which excludes vehicle-related industries, rose 0.6 per cent in June, matching the increase in May.
Card spending rose across all industries in June, the first broad-based lift since November last year. The largest movements were in consumables spending, which rose 0.6 per cent, while fuel spending lifted 1.3 per cent, durables spending advanced 0.5 per cent, and apparel spending gained 1.5 percent.
"The lift in retail card spending was across the board, from food and liquor, furniture, hardware and appliances, petrol and cars, as well as a bounce back in clothing and footwear," Stats NZ retail statistics manager Sue Chapman said.
"The pick-up in spending on clothing and footwear could be attributed to the start of winter."
Today's figures show actual total retail spending using electronic cards increased 4.9 per cent in June to $5.1 billion compared with the same month a year earlier.
Card-holders across all industries made 140 million transactions in the month, down from 146 million in May. The average value of $49 was unchanged on the month and the year.