While seasonally adjusted figures were down in December 2020 by 4.2 per cent, turnover rose 9.4 per cent when compared to December 2019, according to the Australian Bureau of statistics.
Falls were recorded in five of the six retail industries, led by household goods retailing, says Ben James, director of Quarterly Economy Wide Surveys.
“Household goods retailing, other retailing, department stores, and clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing, fell after large rises in November. November sales were underpinned by an easing of restrictions in Victoria, new product releases and Black Friday sales.”
National Retail Association (NRA) CEO Dominique Lamb adds that strong year-on-year growth for Australian retail in December has confirmed reports from businesses on the ground that sales before and after Christmas defied Covid close downs in some states.
However, the association will wait until the official figures were released next month before finalising Christmas and Boxing Day spending totals.
“What we know for sure is that the summer retail season, which now includes Black Friday and Cyber Monday in November, has been as strong as we have seen for many years,” she says.
“This is partly due to the sudden reopening of state economies, particularly Victoria, during November, and partly due to the fact that Australians have more discretionary income because they aren’t able to travel widely at the moment.
“But we also know there is a rapidly rising trend of people doing their bargain hunting in November and bringing forward that Christmas gift spending, but then having a round of ‘leftovers’ on Boxing Day.”
The NRA will release its final outcome for Christmas once the ABS data is finalised in February.
