Retail Trade Buoyant In First Quarter

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28284, 23 May 1957, Page 17

Retail Trade Buoyant In First Quarter

New Zealand retail sales in the first quarter of 1957 totalled an estimated £ 90.5 m, compared with £ 87.9 m in the same quarter of last year. Increases were achieved by most types of stores, and represent an average rise of 2.9 per cent. These figures are given in the latest provisional estimates oi retail trade released by the Department of Statistics. The increased turnovers were remark able in that Easter fell in the second quarter this year (wher Good Friday was on April 19 whereas last year the Easter shop ping was mostly done before th< end of March (Good Friday March 30). Consumer Durables Recover The recovery in sales by store of the household appliance an< radio type continued, the turn over being 9 per cent, highe] Chemists (7 per cent.), footwea (4 per cent), butchers (1 pe cent.), grocers (2J per cent.), othe food and drink (3 per cent.), hard ware (1 per cent.), general de partment and variety (2J pe cent.), and the residual “othe stores” (8 per cent.) also showe increases. Apparel other tha footwear (down 3.4 per cent, alone showed a decrease. An alternative classificatio shows that the Christchurch an Auckland urban areas (4.7 pc cent, and 4.6 per cent, respet tively) recorded the largest ir creases. Wellington and Hu turnovers fell 1.1 per cent., an sales in the rest of the Nort

island rose d.z per cent, vuneain sales rose 2.6 per cent., and in the remainder of the South Island _ sales rose 2.7 per cent. 5 Stocks rose 1.7 per cent, in total between the end of March, 1956, and the same date this year. While butchers’ stocks fell nearly 8 per cent., however, J stocks held by household ap- 1 pliance and retail stores rose 9 c per cent., movements in the stocks ' of other store types lying between these extremes. « 5