Australia March retail sales +8.5%...>

AUSTRALIA DATA: Australia March retail sales +8.5% m/m, +0.7% q/q

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--Feb sales revised to +0.6% from +0.5%

-- ABS say "unprecedented demand in food retailing, household goods, and other

retailing. However the impact of social distancing regulations saw sales fall in

cafes, restaurants and takeaway food services, and discretionary spending.

--March month saw both the strongest rise in food retailing, and the strongest

fall in cafes, restaurants and takeaway food services, that we have seen in the

history of the series."

--For the March quarter 2020, +0.7% SA, again led by food retailing (6.4 per

cent

--Online retail turnover contributed 7.1 per cent to total retail turnover in

original terms in March 2020, up from 6.6 per cent in February 2020. In March

2019, online retail turnover contributed 5.7 per cent to total retail.