November 4, 2009
Embargo: 11.30am (AEDT) 04/11/2009
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ABS Retail Sales down 0.2% in September 2009
The latest ABS Retail trade figures show that sales in September fell 0.2%, seasonally adjusted,
compared with a rise of 0.7% (revised) the previous month.
Sales fell, in seasonally adjusted terms, for Department Stores (-2.9%), Clothing, Footwear &
Other Personal Accessory Retailing (-0.8%) and Household Goods Retailing (-0.7%). However,
Australian's are still enjoying eating out with sales rising in September for Cafes, Restaurants &
Takeaway Food Services (1.0%).
The Northern Territory (-0.7%) recorded the largest drop in sales, followed by Queensland (-0.6%),
South Australia (-0.6%) and Western Australia (-0.6%), the ACT (-0.5%) and NSW (-0.1%). Sales
rose in Victoria (0.4%) in September and in Tasmania remained unchanged.
Trend turnover for September 2009 rose 0.4%.
Retail turnover, in volume terms, fell 0.4%, seasonally adjusted, for the September Quarter 2009,
compared with a rise of 1.9% in the June Quarter. Trend turnover, in volume terms, rose 1.4% for
the September Quarter 2009 and is the 4th consecutive quarter of positive trend volume
movement.
Further information is available in Retail Trade, Australia (cat no. 8501.0)
Media Note: Please ensure when reporting on ABS data that you attribute the Australian Bureau of
Statistics (or the ABS) as the source
FURTHER INFORMATION
Media requests and interviews
Corporate Communications 1300 175 070
When reporting ABS data, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (or ABS) must
be attributed as the source
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