Australian retail turnover rises 0.2% in February, online sales surge

Australian retail turnover rose by 0.2 per cent in February 2025, according to seasonally adjusted data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). This modest increase follows a 0.3 per cent rise in January 2025 and a 0.2 per cent fall in December 2024. Year-on-year, retail turnover was up 3.6 per cent compared to February 2024.

Household goods retailing fell for the second consecutive month, down 0.3 per cent (–$19.5 million). Within the category, the biggest decline came from furniture, floor coverings, houseware and textile goods, which dropped 1.6 per cent (–$25.9 million).

"Following promotion-based growth across the December quarter, spending on household goods continued to moderate with lower discretionary spending to begin the year," said Robert Ewing, ABS head of business statistics.

In contrast, department stores posted a solid 1.5 per cent gain (+$28.4 million), and clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing rose 0.4 per cent (+$12.8 million). Within the latter, clothing retailing climbed 0.8 per cent (+$15.7 million), while footwear and other personal accessories declined by 0.3 per cent (–$3.0 million). Other retailing fell by 1.0 per cent (–$58.2 million).

Retail turnover increased across most states and territories. Western Australia led the gains with a 0.8 per cent rise, marking its seventh consecutive monthly increase. New South Wales also posted a healthy 0.5 per cent lift.

Online retailing remains a bright spot in the retail landscape. Seasonally adjusted online sales rose 1.7 per cent in February (+$73.5 million), following a 0.4 per cent increase in January. Through-the-year, online retail sales surged 12.2 per cent (+$491.0 million), as per the ABS.

Online non-food retailing rose to 18.1 per cent of total non-food sales, up from 17.8 per cent. The overall proportion of online retail sales to total retail sales increased from 11.4 per cent in January to 11.5 per cent in February, up from 10.7 per cent in February 2024.

“Retail spending in February remains steady, with mixed results across the industries,” said Ewing.

ALCHEMPro News Desk (HU)