Core retail electronic card spending down slightly

Embargoed until 10:45am – 10 November 2009
Core retail electronic card spending down slightly

After adjusting for seasonal effects, the value of electronic card transactions in core retail (which excludes the motor vehicle-related industries) fell slightly in October 2009, down 0.4 percent compared with September 2009, Statistics New Zealand said today. The value of transactions in the retail industries was comparatively flat, down just 0.2 percent in October 2009. The main contribution to both falls came from the consumables industry (which includes food, liquor, and chemist retailing).

The total value of electronic card transactions was also comparatively flat, up just 0.2 percent in October 2009. The industries with the largest increases were automotive fuel retailing, non-retail (which includes services such as travel and health, and wholesaling), and durables (which includes furniture, hardware, and appliance retailing).

Trends for the value of transactions in the total, retail, and core retail series have all been increasing since January 2009. The trend in total transactions has been rising at an average monthly rate of 0.4 percent since then, while core retail has risen at an average of 0.3 percent.

For the retail series, latest figures indicate the trend may have picked up in the last three months.

Electronic Card Transactions Oct 09 (pdf)

Electronic Card Transactions Oct 09 – Tables (xls)

ENDS

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