Australian retail turnover rose 0.6 per cent in October 2024, according to seasonally adjusted figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
This comes after growth of 0.1 per cent in September 2024 and 0.7 per cent in August 2024.
Robert Ewing, ABS head of business statistics, said: "After a steady result last month retailers told us that sales activity grew in October ahead of the Black Friday sales.
"The stronger than usual October month saw some retailers enticing buyers to spend early with discounting, particularly on discretionary items."
| Month | Seasonally adjusted ($m) | Trend ($m) |
|---|---|---|
| Oct-19 | 27,681.3 | 27,681.5 |
| Nov-19 | 27,709.9 | 27,757.8 |
| Dec-19 | 27,988.8 | 27,820.7 |
| Jan-20 | 27,832.9 | 27,876.5 |
| Feb-20 | 27,852.5 | 27,933.9 |
| Mar-20 | 29,930.4 | |
| Apr-20 | 24,795.1 | |
| May-20 | 28,771.8 | |
| Jun-20 | 29,623.2 | |
| Jul-20 | 30,748.0 | |
| Aug-20 | 29,470.4 | |
| Sep-20 | 29,094.8 | |
| Oct-20 | 29,695.9 | |
| Nov-20 | 31,302.1 | |
| Dec-20 | 30,952.6 | |
| Jan-21 | 30,766.5 | |
| Feb-21 | 30,393.7 | |
| Mar-21 | 30,618.0 | |
| Apr-21 | 30,939.9 | |
| May-21 | 30,966.0 | |
| Jun-21 | 30,526.6 | |
| Jul-21 | 29,773.1 | |
| Aug-21 | 29,194.4 | |
| Sep-21 | 29,698.3 | |
| Oct-21 | 31,176.0 | |
| Nov-21 | 32,939.3 | |
| Dec-21 | 32,577.7 | |
| Jan-22 | 32,804.7 | |
| Feb-22 | 33,146.3 | |
| Mar-22 | 33,554.0 | |
| Apr-22 | 33,865.1 | |
| May-22 | 34,019.9 | |
| Jun-22 | 34,338.8 | |
| Jul-22 | 34,645.2 | 34,595.1 |
| Aug-22 | 34,784.0 | 34,807.0 |
| Sep-22 | 34,964.4 | 34,983.3 |
| Oct-22 | 35,105.9 | 35,118.7 |
| Nov-22 | 35,417.2 | 35,210.1 |
| Dec-22 | 35,079.8 | 35,270.3 |
| Jan-23 | 35,340.0 | 35,307.1 |
| Feb-23 | 35,281.9 | 35,323.3 |
| Mar-23 | 35,385.4 | 35,318.4 |
| Apr-23 | 35,309.0 | 35,307.9 |
| May-23 | 35,404.4 | 35,292.7 |
| Jun-23 | 35,133.1 | 35,304.0 |
| Jul-23 | 35,341.8 | 35,353.3 |
| Aug-23 | 35,340.9 | 35,440.1 |
| Sep-23 | 35,652.5 | 35,542.4 |
| Oct-23 | 35,494.8 | 35,636.1 |
| Nov-23 | 36,189.8 | 35,697.1 |
| Dec-23 | 35,387.0 | 35,720.5 |
| Jan-24 | 35,699.1 | 35,724.0 |
| Feb-24 | 35,830.5 | 35,737.1 |
| Mar-24 | 35,718.1 | 35,779.8 |
| Apr-24 | 35,811.4 | 35,861.6 |
| May-24 | 35,993.0 | 35,979.2 |
| Jun-24 | 36,167.4 | 36,113.0 |
| Jul-24 | 36,179.8 | 36,250.4 |
| Aug-24 | 36,444.4 | 36,390.9 |
| Sep-24 | 36,497.7 | 36,529.0 |
| Oct-24 | 36,702.7 | 36,656.2 |
Trend estimates from March 2020 to June 2022 are not available due to the degree of disruption and volatility caused by COVID-19. Trend estimates throughout the pandemic period are likely to be unhelpful and potentially misleading for users in interpreting underlying trend in retail activity.
Turnover results were mixed across the industries.
The non-food industries had significant rises for both other retailing (+1.6 per cent) and household goods retailing (+1.4 per cent).
"The rise in discretionary spending was driven by online discounting events while people also spent more on electrical goods, particularly televisions and other audio-visual equipment," Mr Ewing said.
There were falls in clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing (-0.6 per cent) and department stores (-0.3 per cent).
Both food-related industries rose. Cafes, restaurants and takeaway food services (+0.3 per cent) had its third straight monthly rise, while food retailing (+0.3 per cent) bounced back, having seen a small fall last month.
"The bounce back in food retailing is being driven by liquor retailers. This month liquor rose by 1.7 per cent, which sees liquor turnover return to a similar level as July 2024," Mr Ewing said.
| Industry | Sep-24 (%) | Oct-24 (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Food retailing | -0.1 | 0.3 |
| Household goods retailing | 0.7 | 1.4 |
| Clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing | -0.1 | -0.6 |
| Department stores | -0.4 | -0.3 |
| Other retailing | 0.2 | 1.6 |
| Cafes, restaurants and takeaway food services | 0.5 | 0.3 |
| Total | 0.1 | 0.6 |
Retail turnover saw growth across the country with all states and territories rising, except for the Northern Territory (-0.5 per cent).
'The strongest percentage rises this month were seen in South Australia with 1.3 per cent, Tasmania at 1.1 per cent, and Victoria with 0.9 per cent," Mr Ewing said.
| State | Sep-24 (%) | Oct-24 (%) |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| Victoria | 0.1 | 0.9 |
| Queensland | 0.1 | 0.5 |
| South Australia | 0.1 | 1.3 |
| Western Australia | 0.1 | 0.3 |
| Tasmania | -0.2 | 1.1 |
| Northern Territory | -1.0 | -0.5 |
| Australian Capital Territory | 0.0 | 0.3 |
| Total | 0.1 | 0.6 |
The ABS would like to thank businesses for their continued support in responding to our surveys.
