11 May 2014

Spending with cards rose in April

5:16 am on 11 May 2014

Retail spending using electronic cards has risen slightly.

Official figures released on Friday show seasonally adjusted spending using debit, credit and charge cards rose a seasonally-adjusted 0.3 percent to $4.6 billion in April, compared with the previous month.

Statistics New Zealand said that's mainly due to people spending more on fuel, and food and drink. Spending on fuel rose 1.5 percent and consumbles rose 0.7 percent

Purchases of clothing fell 2.7 percent and footwear also fell.

Excluding cars and vehicle parts, core retail spending edged up 0.1 percent.

ASB Bank chief economist Nick Tuffley said the monthly results can be volatile, but the overall trend is strong.

Mr Tuffley said there was a small dip in spending on whiteware and big ticket items in April, which reflects the recent slowdown in house sales.