Australia Retail Sales Mom

Retail sales in Australia fell by 1.7 percent month-over-month in August 2021, unrevised from the preliminary figure and after a final 2.7 percent drop in July. This was the third straight month of falls in retail trade, amid lockdown restrictions. By industry, falls were seen in sales of clothing, footwear, and personal accessory retailing (-15.7% vs -15.4% in July), cafes, restaurants, and takeaway food (-7% vs -12.3%), department stores (-10.2% vs -11.4%), and household goods retailing (-2.3% vs -2.2%). In contrast, food retailing (2.1% vs 2.3%) saw the largest rise as curbs continue to limit mobility and keep households at home. Other retailing (0.8% vs 0.6%) also rose, in part due to additional online sales. States with lockdowns saw retail sales falling, namely New South Wales (- 3.5% to its lowest level since April 2020), Victoria (- 3%), and the Australian Capital Territory (-19.9%).