NZ core retail spending on credit, debit cards rises in July

NZ core retail spending on credit, debit rises in July, on gains in durables, apparel and consumables

By Suze Metherell

Aug. 11 (BusinessDesk) - New Zealand core retail spending on debit and credit cards rose in July as increased spending on durables, apparel and consumables offset a dip in hospitality spending.

The value of core retail spending on electronic cards, which excludes fuel and auto-related purchases, rose a seasonally adjusted 0.5 percent, from a restated 0.3 decline in June and a 1 percent gain in May, Statistics New Zealand said. Including auto-related purchases, retail spending was unchanged following a static figure in June, and a 1.2 percent increase in May. Total spending, which includes non-retail industries and services, fell 0.1 percent, following a 0.5 gain in June.

The data comes after the ANZ-Roy Morgan consumer confidence index rose to 132.7 in July, from 131.9 in June, extending a rebound from a six-month low of 127.6 in May, supported by an improving labour market and the impact of a high kiwi dollar on import prices. Today's electronic card figures show spending on durables rose 0.9 percent in July, after a fall of 0.7 percent in June.

Apparel advanced 1.7 percent from a restated 0.2 percent drop the previous month, while consumables increased 0.3 percent having slipped a restated 0.2 percent in June. Hospitality declined 0.6 percent in July.

The unadjusted value of spending on electronic cards rose 4.8 percent to $6.03 billion in July from a year earlier, with an average spend per transaction of $51. About 56 percent of transactions were on debit cards with the the remainder on credit cards.

(BusinessDesk)

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