(12 May 2010 – New Zealand) The total value of debit card and credit card transactions conducted with New Zealand-based merchants was down 1.0 percent in April 2010, Statistics New Zealand said today.The announcement of the seasonal adjusted figures follows an increase of 1.0 percent in March 2010. Non-retail industries, which include services such as travel and health, and wholesaling, were up just 0.2 percent in April 2010, while the retail industries were down 1.7 percent.
Business statistics manager, Louise Holmes-Oliver, said that seasonal adjustment reflects short-term behaviour and has been influenced by increased variability in spending patterns in recent months.
The value of transactions in core retail, which excludes the motor vehicle-related industries, was down 1.9 percent in April 2010, following an increase of 2.0 percent in March 2010.
The main contributors to the April decrease were durables and consumables. Durables include furniture, hardware, and appliance retailing; consumables include food, liquor, and chemist retailing.
Trends for the value of transactions in the total, retail, and core retail series have all been increasing since January 2009, although the rate of increase has eased for each of the trends in recent months.