2021.05.1001:45:00UTC+00Australia Retail Sales Climb 1.3% On Month In March

The total value of retail sales in Australia was up a seasonally adjusted 1.3 percent on month in March, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said on Monday - coming in at A$30.699 billion.

That follows the 0.8 percent contraction in February.

On a yearly basis, retail sales climbed 2.2 percent.

Individually, food retailing was down 0.9 percent on month, while household goods fell 0.1 percent, clothing climbed 5.4 percent, department stores were up 8.5 percent, cafes and takeout food gained 4.8 percent and other retailing rose .4 percent.

In the first quarter of 2021, retail sales fell 0.5 percent and gained 4.7 percent on year at A$86.393 billion.