Real retail sales in New Zealand, which strip out the value of inflation, were up 0.5 percent in the first quarter compared to the previous three months, Statistics New Zealand said on Tuesday.
That was shy of forecasts for a gain of 0.8 percent following the 2.1 percent increase in the fourth quarter of 2012.
The value of total retail sales rose 0.9 percent on quarter to NZ$17.9 billion
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