New Zealand's retail sales rose 0.6 percent ($153 million) in September

For the September 2018 quarter, compared with the June 2018 quarter (seasonally adjusted):

• total value of retail sales rose 0.6 percent ($153 million), with price effects included

• total volume of retail sales was relatively unchanged

• Waikato showed the largest regional growth, up 2.2 percent ($47 million).

Fuel retailing had the largest increase in sales value for the September 2018 quarter (up 7.0 percent or $150 million) when compared with the June 2018 quarter. This strong increase coincided with the start of the Auckland fuel tax and record fuel prices. Auckland and Waikato regional fuel sales were also high.

Food and beverage retailing sales fell 2.4 percent ($71 million) in value in the latest quarter. This was the largest fall since the series began and follows a 1.9 percent rise in the June quarter.

In the September 2018 quarter, department stores had the largest rise in sales volume (up 7.4 percent). Pharmaceutical and other store-based retailing fell 3.1 percent.

A large proportion of these movements resulted from structural changes in the Warehouse Group in July 2018. These changes resulted in a subsidiary from the pharmaceutical and other store-based retailing industry moving into the department stores industry.

However, this has no impact on either the total retail series, or the core retail series.