The value of transactions made using electronic cards slipped in February, with flat or declining sales in all but one core retail industry, along with a fall in fuel sales and in non-retail industries.
Figures published by Statistics New Zealand (SNZ) today show the value of core retail transactions, which exclude the vehicle-related industries, edged down a seasonally adjusted 0.2 percent compared to January, when core retailing also slipped 0.2 percent.
That reflected flat or falling sales in all the core retail industries, except consumables such as food, liquor, and chemist retailing, which rose 0.8 percent, SNZ said.
The actual value of transactions in the core retail series was up 2.6 percent from February 2009.
For all the retail industries seasonally adjusted electronic card transactions fell 0.4 percent, with a 1.3 percent fall in fuel retailing which had been the main contributor to rises in the series between August and January.
When non-retail industries were included, the total value of transactions dropped 0.3 percent. The non-retail industries, which include services such as travel and health, and wholesaling, dropped 1.3 percent in February.
It was the first drop in the total value of transactions in eight months, although in November no change was recorded.
Electronic card transactions were seen as an indicator of consumer spending. They cover around two-thirds of retail sales but SNZ cautioned they should not be used as an indicator of the whole retail sector.