Retail turnover in Australia remained relatively unchanged in March, following a 0.6% rise in February, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said May 8.
According to the release, a 0.7% increase in food retailing was offset by declines in other industries. Cafes, restaurants and takeaways fell 0.8%, while other retailing declined 0.6%.
In addition, there was a 0.3% decline in household goods retailing, a 0.5% decrease in department stores and a 0.2% drop in clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing.
Online retail sales accounted for 5.1% of the total retail turnover during the month, compared to 3.7% in the comparable year-ago period.
In seasonally adjusted volume terms, turnover rose 0.2% in the quarter ended March 31, after a rise of 0.8% in the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2017. The growth was led by household goods at 1.2%, clothing, footwear and personal accessories at 1.1% and food at 0.7%.
