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April retail sales hit record high on strong food, cafes, clothes spending

Cecile Lefort

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Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed April retail sales rose 0.9 per cent month-on-month, hitting another record level. They climbed 9.6 per cent compared with April last year.

The outcome matched analyst forecasts of a 0.9 per cent gain.

Food retailing had the largest rise, up 1.9 per cent, followed by cafes, restaurants and takeaway food services (3.3 per cent), clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing (3.1 per cent) and other retailing (0.5 per cent).

“The strength in retail turnover is being driven by spending across the food industries. High food prices have combined with increased household spending over the April holiday period as more people are travelling, dining out and holding family gatherings,” said ABS director Ben James.

“There were strong rises in both food retailing and cafes, restaurants and takeaway food services. This is a contrast to the consumer behaviour previously seen during the pandemic, where these two industries would consistently move in opposite directions as outbreaks and restrictions either tightened or eased.”

How much of this has gone onto BNPL?