Retail sales tumble

Sales in Taranaki’s clothing, footwear and department stores plummeted by nearly 85 per cent in the week the country went into coronavirus lockdown, new figures show.

Venture Taranaki’s retail data for the week ending March 29 shows a significant decrease in spending as the region moved into alert level four of the Covid-19 response, with a 15.7 per cent drop in spending for the week in Taranaki, against a national average decrease of 22.7 per cent.

The sharpest declines were in hospitality and accommodation – down 81.9 per cent – and clothing, footwear and department stores, down 84.8 per cent.

‘‘This data doesn’t come as a surprise’’ Anne Probert, Venture Taranaki’s general manager of regional strategy and sectors, said.

Transactions were also down 44.4 per cent on the same period a year ago, reflecting the majority of retailers closing for business on March 25 as the country moved into lockdown.

‘‘The restrictions placed on retailers while New Zealand remains under alert level four mean many have halted trading entirely, with the likes of hospitality, accommodation, and discretionary retail being hit the hardest.’’

Retailers deemed essential services, including supermarkets and pharmacies, remained open, with shoppers spending more than usual, so spending across food, liquor pharmacies was up 38 per cent.

Many retailers had already started to feel the impact of Covid-19 before the move to level four, with varying impacts ranging from sudden intensity of demand for certain products or services, to people starting to stay away.

‘‘The lockdown has now curtailed shopping across most retail sectors, and led to some heavy declines in spending as a consequence,’’ she said.

‘‘Changes to the definition of essential services, which have allowed some retailers to reopen with an online or contactless presence offering a limited product range, will likely stimulate a small increase in retail, but the hit to overall spending will continue for weeks to come.’’ and