Australia Retail Sales Mom

Retail sales in Australia rose 0.2% month-on-month in May 2025, recovering from a flat reading in the previous month but missing market expectations of a 0.4% rise. Growth was driven by a rebound in clothing, footwear, and personal accessory retailing (2.9% vs -2.8% in April) and department stores (2.6% vs -2.9%). Meanwhile, household goods retailing stalled after a 0.8% increase in April. Sales in cafes, restaurants, and takeaway food services were also flat following the prior 1.2% rise. Declines were seen in food retailing (-0.4% vs -0.2%) and other retailing (-0.2% vs 0.7%). Regionally, sales rose in Western Australia (0.7%), the Australian Capital Territory (0.4%), Victoria (0.2%), and by 0.1% in New South Wales, Queensland, and South Australia. Meanwhile, sales were flat in the Northern Territory and dipped slightly in Tasmania (-0.1%). On an annual basis, retail sales grew 3.3%, easing from 3.8% in April and marking the softest pace in six months.