The total volume of retail sales in New Zealand gained a seasonally adjusted 1.7 percent on quarter in the fourth quarter of 2014, Statistics New Zealand said on Monday.
That beat forecasts for an increase of 1.4 percent following the upwardly revised 1.6 percent increase in Q3 (originally 1.5 percent).
The last time the sales volume rose more than 1.7 percent was in the June 2012 quarter, when sales rose 1.9 percent.
"The motor-vehicle industry drove this quarter's increase, having the largest rises in both sales volume and value," acting business indicators manager Tehseen Islam said.
Twelve of the 15 retail industries had higher sales volumes, led by motor-vehicle and parts retailing, up 3.4 percent; food and beverage services, up 3.0 percent; and supermarket and grocery stores, down 1.2 percent.
The volume of sales in core retail (which excludes the vehicle-related industries) rose 1.5 percent.
When the effect of price changes is included, the total value of retail sales rose 1.6 percent (NZ$302 million), with sales rising in 10 of the 15 retail industries. This is also the largest total value increase since the June 2012 quarter, when sales rose 1.8 percent (NZ$306 million).
For core retail (which excludes the vehicle-related industries), the sales value rose 1.6 percent (NZ$228 million).
In actual terms, the value of total retail sales was NZ$20.9 billion in Q4, up 4.7 percent on year. This is the first time the total sales value was over the NZ$20 billion level, the bureau said.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Economic News
What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more.
April 24, 2026 15:15 ET Economics news flow was relatively light this week even as the conflict in the Middle East continued, raising concerns for policymakers. In the U.S., spending data, initial jobless claims and pending home sales were the highlights. Business confidence in the biggest euro area economy was in focus in Europe. Inflation data from Japan gained attention in Asia.