By Oliver Gray
Investing.com - Retail sales in Australia have soared to 8.2% in the December quarter to a fresh series high amid festive shopping, while cafes and restaurants reopened from Delta lockdowns in New South Wales and Victoria.
According to the ABS data, the quarterly rise was driven by spending in the discretionary industries, all of which had seen a sharp fall in the September quarter when overall spending had declined 4.4%.
New South Wales recorded the largest volume rise of 15.3%, Victoria grew 10.2% and the ACT lifted 12.4%. Queensland rose 3%, followed by Western Australia at 1.6% and South Australia at 1.1%. Tasmania was the only state or territory to record a decline in spending, down 1.2%.
On a monthly basis, Retail sales fell by 4.4% in December 2021, retreating from a 7.3% jump a month earlier, posting the first decrease in retail trade since August and the steepest decline since April 2020, as fresh fears surrounding the new Omicron coronavirus variant kept consumers from spending on goods and services.