Retail turnover climbs 0.3% in January, tracking estimates
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The news: Australian retail turnover rose 0.3% in January 2025, in line with market estimates, according to new figures by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
The numbers: The rise follows a fall of 0.1% in December 2024 and a rise of 0.7% in November 2024.
Food-related spending bounced back in January following falls last month with rises in both cafes, restaurants and takeaway food services (1.1%) and food retailing (0.7%).
Most non-food industries rose, led by other retailing (2.4%), clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing (2%) and department stores (0.6%).
This was partly offset by a large fall in household goods retailing (-4.4%).
Retail turnover rose in most states and territories. The only exceptions were New South Wales (-0.3%) and the Northern Territory which remained relatively unchanged.
The context: Robert Ewing, ABS head of business statistics, said that while growth in retail spending since mid-2024 has been boosted by more discretionary spending, January's rise was mostly driven by food-related spending.
Large-scale events such as the Australian Tennis Open and cricket matches helped lift spending in catering services. Meanwhile, food retailing rebounded after supply chain disruptions in Victoria negatively impacted supermarket spending a month earlier.
The fall in household goods followed four straight rises driven by widespread discounting activity around Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales events, Ewing said.
The source: ABS
