MEDIA RELEASE
04 July 2019	Embargoed: 11:30 am (Canberra time)

Australian retail turnover rose 0.1 per cent in May 2019, seasonally adjusted, according to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Retail Trade figures.

This follows a fall of 0.1 per cent in April 2019.

ABS Director of Quarterly Economy Wide Surveys, Ben James said: "There were mixed results across the industries with rises in Cafes, restaurant and takeaway food services (0.7 per cent), Household goods retailing (0.5 per cent), and Other retailing (0.6 per cent). These rises were offset by falls in Food retailing (-0.3 per cent), Department stores (-0.4 per cent), and Clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing (-0.2 per cent)."

In seasonally adjusted terms, there were rises in Victoria (0.6 per cent), South Australia (0.5 per cent), the Australian Capital Territory (0.7 per cent), and the Northern Territory (0.5 per cent). There were falls in Queensland (-0.3 per cent), New South Wales (-0.1 per cent), Western Australia (-0.2 per cent), and Tasmania (-0.4 per cent).

The trend estimate for Australian retail turnover rose 0.2 per cent in May 2019, following a 0.2 per cent rise in April 2019. Compared to May 2018, the trend estimate rose 2.7 per cent.

Online retail turnover contributed 6.2 per cent to total retail turnover in original terms in May 2019, a rise from 5.7 per cent in April 2019. In May 2018, online retail turnover contributed 5.6 per cent to total retail.

More detailed industry analysis and further information on the statistical methodology is available in Retail Trade, Australia (cat no. 8501.0).

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