Australia: Retail sales rebound in September
Retail sales increased 1.3% in month-on-month seasonally-adjusted terms in September, which contrasted August’s 1.7% decrease.
The headline reading reflected expansions in housing goods retailing; clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing; department stores; and, cafes, restaurants and takeaway food services. This more than offset contractions in food retailing and sales in department stores.
In annual terms, retail sales expanded 1.9% in September, contrasting the 0.8% contraction logged in August. Meanwhile, annual average growth in retail sales eased to 6.6% in September from 7.0% in August.