Australian retail trade surged in June, as the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released its final set of data in this form after more than seven decades.
ABS Head of Business Statistics Robert Ewing said national retail turnover rose 1.2 percent in June 2025, following a rise of 0.5 percent in May and a flat results in April.
“After steady growth throughout the year, mid-year sales events increased spending on discretionary items like furniture, electrical goods and clothing items,” Mr Ewing said.
Australian Statistician David Gruen said today’s release was the final publication of Retail Trade, Australia.
“Today’s final publication comes 74 years after Sir Roland Wilson, Chief Statistician at the time, released the results of the first Retail Trade survey in 1951,” Dr Gruen said.
“Sir Roland noted that total Australian retail sales in the September quarter 1950 amounted to £383.2 million – around $20.5 billion in today’s dollars.”
Dr Gruen said after today, monthly statistics on household spending would be available in the ABS’ Monthly Household Spending Indicator (MHSI), providing “a more comprehensive view of consumption, across both goods and services”.
Take a look back at 75 years of retail trade through statistics.
