An jump in July’s retail card spending figures has been pushed along by more fuel being purchased, new Stats NZ figures reveal.
Overall spending was up 0.7% or $35 million compared with the previous month, while fuel spending was up 2.1% or $14 million.
Actual retail spending using electronic cards was $5.2 billion in July 2018, up $222 million on the previous year.
“With a third consecutive monthly rise of around 0.7%, we have seen steady growth in retail card spending after the dip in April,” acting retail manager Kathy Hicks says.
“The latest monthly rise mainly reflects spending on the household essentials such as fuel and groceries.
“The rise in fuel spending was driven by higher petrol and diesel prices. This lift also coincided with the introduction of the Auckland regional fuel tax, which came into effect on 1 July.”
Meanwhile, spending on vehicles (excluding fuel), was up $1.3 million or 0.8%.
