New data from the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) and Roy Morgan shows Aussies will be spending their money on DIY projects this Easter.
ARA chief industry affairs officer Fleur Brown says that while overall consumer spending remains subdued, Australians are continuing to spend on the things that matter most.
“Australians continue to choose to spend their hard-earned dollars on quality time with their loved ones during special events, travel and projects around the home,” she explains.
“After an immensely challenging past year, retailers across food and homewares sectors will be eagerly anticipating this Easter spending uptick as Australians turn their attention to home-maintenance projects.”
Indeed, 6.2 million Australians are planning to use the Easter break for DIY projects around the home, with a total spend of $6.7 billion nationwide and an average spend of $1,082 per person, up $230 (+27 per cent) on last year’s figures.
In QLD, that figure is higher in the wake of ex-tropical cyclone Alfred, with the state likely to see a cash injection of $2.2 billion across the category of DIY and homewares, up $400 million (+6.3 per cent) on last year. This is compared to an expected spend of $1.7 billion in NSW and $1.2 billion in VIC.
This follows the recent February results showing consumer spending during February 2025 at $37.1 billion, 3.6 per cent higher than February 2024 with the household goods category (up 2.89 per cent.
“We know household budgets remain tight and retailers are operating in a highly competitive and volatile environment with rising business costs. Any signs of stability in consumer spending are a welcome boost to business confidence, but we remain far from a retail recovery,” Brown says.
Consumer sentiment is on the uptick and February’s trading result is a reflection of that, adds National Retail Association (NRA) interim CEO Lindsay Carroll.
“Wages are up and inflation is down, so Aussies feel safer about spending,” she says.
“However, retailers are still struggling. Business insolvencies have shot up in the last couple of years and the federal budget was a missed opportunity for the government to show the ailing sector a bit of love.”
Image: istock miodrag ignjatovic
