Christchurch spending continues to rise

Christchurch's growth in retail and hospitality spending continues to outpace that at the national level, Statistics New Zealand said today.

For Christchurch city, after seasonal fluctuations are removed, retail and hospitality sales increased 1.4 percent in the June 2014 quarter. Nationally, sales rose 1.0 percent (see Retail Trade Survey: June 2014 quarter).

"The increased spending for both retail and hospitality businesses pushed Christchurch's growth in these industries further ahead of the rest of the country," business indicators manager Neil Kelly said.

Looking at the longer-term picture, the trend for retail and hospitality sales in Christchurch has risen 24 percent since the June 2010 quarter (before the quakes began). This compares with a 16 percent rise at the national level.

In actual terms, retail and hospitality sales in Christchurch were 6.4 percent higher in the June 2014 quarter than in the same quarter in 2013.

The Christchurch retail trade indicator series is an experimental series that measures activity in the retail and hospitality industries. Statistics NZ releases it to provide information on the state of these industries after the Canterbury earthquakes that began in September 2010. The statistics are provisional because they reflect new methods that may be modified in future.