Retailers ordered more goods from wholesalers in the three months to the end of September, with sales increasing for the fourth consecutive quarter.
Statistics New Zealand says total wholesale trade sales rose a seasonally adjusted 3.1% in the quarter.
The largest rises were recorded in sales of food and grocery products, up 5%, while sales of farm, construction, and business equipment rose 9.3% and petrol wholesaling increased by 7.3%.
The value of stocks rose to $10.5 billion, a 2.7% increase compared with the same quarter last year.
