8501.0 - Retail Trade, Australia, Feb 2009  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 01/04/2009   
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ANALYSIS


TOTAL RETAIL

The chart below shows the trend series, to November 2008, and seasonally adjusted series, to February 2009.

As the seasonally adjusted series (except for the completely enumerated total series) are currently estimated using forward seasonal factors based on data to the June 2008 reference month, the seasonal adjustment factors have not been influenced by spending associated with the Federal Government Economic Security Strategy Package.

In current price seasonally adjusted terms, Australian turnover decreased by 2.0% in February 2009 after increasing in each of the previous four months including a 3.8% increase in December 2008. The level of turnover, in seasonally adjusted terms, remains above the level of the trend at November 2008.

The industries with the biggest seasonally adjusted increases in December 2008 have had the largest decreases over the last two months:

  • Department stores increased by 8.3% in December 2008 and decreased by 0.5% and 9.8% in January and February 2009, respectively.
  • Clothing and soft good retailing increased by 5.8% in December 2008 and 0.8% in January 2009 and decreased by 2.7% in February.
  • Household good retailing increased by 9.9% in December 2008 and decreased by 4.0% and 3.8% in January and February 2009, respectively.
RETAIL TURNOVER(a), Australia
Graph: Total retail turnover, Australia