Inside Retail presents the Australian Retail Index. The index gives a quick overview of retail statistics in four key categories; fashion and accessories, furniture and homewares, sporting and recreational, and other. Key retail statistics are shown weekly, with yearly comparisons available. A significant drop in sales in the furniture sector dragged down the overall sales performance in the retail sector last week. The furniture sector as a whole dropped over 20 per cent compared to the previo
ous week, in one of the largest negative movements in several months for this sector, bringing overall retail sales down by 5.27 per cent. Elsewhere, the fashion and general goods sectors performed well with growth of 11.32 per cent and 6.87 per cent respectively.
The furniture sector has been the weakest performer over the last several months with a neutral growth pattern compared to the other sectors. The Index shows an expected significant movement of spending towards fashion and general goods over Christmas, and furniture retailers will be hoping that some of that spending returns to their sector in the coming weeks.
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