Australia Retail Sales Mom

Retail sales in Australia grew by 0.2% month-on-month in February 2025, after a 0.3% rise in the previous month and softer than market expectations of a 0.3% gain. Food-related spending supported the upturn, particularly food retailing (0.6% vs 0.7% in January) and cafes, restaurants & takeaway food services (0.2% vs 1.1%). Non-food industries also rose, led by department stores (1.5% vs 0.6%), clothing, footwear, and personal accessory retailing (0.4% vs 2.0%). By contrast, other retailing (-1.0% vs 2.4%) and household goods retailing (-0.3% vs -4.4%) declined. Among states and regions, retail trade advanced in Western Australia (0.8%), New South Wales (0.5%), South Australia (0.2%), the Australian Capital Territory (0.1%), and the Northern Territory (0.1%). Meanwhile, turnover remained unchanged in Victoria while falling in Queensland (-0.4%), Tasmania (-0.5%).