New Zealand retail sales remain buoyant in June quarter

New Zealand's total retail sales volume rose 3.3 percent in the June 2021 quarter, following a 2.8percent rise in the March 2021 quarter, the country's statistics department Stats NZ said on Tuesday.

"Most retail industries saw increases in spending, with rises across all regions," Stats NZ said.

Spending on big-ticket items such as electrical goods, housewares, and vehicles was a priority for many consumers during the June quarter, retail trade manager Sue Chapman said in a statement.

Electrical and electronic goods had the largest increase in sales volumes, up 6.9 percent, followed by rises in food and beverage, up 5.6 percent, and motor vehicle and parts retailing, up 3.1 percent, Chapman said.

"Many retailers saw higher sales this quarter, following the uncertainty of this time last year when the country was emerging from the first major COVID-19 lockdown period," she said.

The country is currently under the second national top-level COVID-19 lockdown which started on Aug. 18 when all schools and businesses are closed except essential businesses such as supermarkets.

The value of total retail trade sales rose 4 percent in the June 2021 quarter, statistics showed.

Food and beverage services had the largest dollar value increase, up 7 percent in the June quarter, following a modest rise of 1.4 percent in the March 2021 quarter, Stats NZ said.

Sales values for motor vehicle and parts retailing reached over 4 billion NZ dollars (2.76 billion U.S. dollars) for the first time in this series, it said.

"We received comments from some vehicle respondents, stating a surge in sales of higherpriced vehicles, and that they saw more interest in electric vehicle purchases during this quarter," Chapman said.