Retailwatch April 2011

Welcome to Retailwatch for April 2011

To view the full report click here

Our report this month shows slight rises and even heavier downturns in certain categories.
Total retail spend in New Zealand for the 28 days ending 28 April 2011 was $2,298.3 million. This represents an increase of 0.6% from the previous 28 days and an increase of 5.5% from the 28 days ending 28 April 2010.

The healthy increase in overall spend is largely driven by Fuel/Service Stations and Supermarkets/Food Retailers. Although the price of oil is decreasing we are yet to see the effects hit our pocket. However according to AA Petrol we should start to see these effects in the coming days.

The remaining ten categories still show signs of recovery with 1.4% increase vs. April 2010, and all but three categories increasing. With the change in weather the 4% rise in Clothing & Footwear (18.5%) comes as no surprise. The most notable decrease - 15.4% in Recreation & Entertainment - is driven by a massive 69% decrease in Canterbury, although there are also double-digit decreases in the rest of the South Island and Wellington and a 5.6% decrease in Auckland.

Overall spend increased in all regions, with most in the vicinity of 5% up on last April. Gisborne (0.9%), Nelson (1.6%) and Otago (2.9%) are below the national average, while Taranaki (7.0%) and Canterbury (8.0%) have had larger than average increases. The Furniture/Appliances/Electronics category showed considerable regional variation, with double-digit increases in Bay of Plenty, Taranaki and Canterbury, smaller increases in Auckland and Waikato, and decreases of up to 29.4% in the rest of the country. Books & Stationery Stores have stabilised after last month's decrease, with Auckland's 13.6% the only significant decrease.

If you would like a copy of the Metropolitan and Non-metropolitan reports, email: retailwatch@datamine.com

Retailwatch can be used to monitor trends in specific categories that are relevant to you while also building a broader picture of the overall retail environment.

The team at Datamine can also help you explore further the impacts of retail industry trends on your business. If you have any questions or would like further information that would help support your business decision making needs, please don’t hesitate to call us.

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