WELLINGTON, May 10 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand people spent more on groceries, eating out, and taking holidays away from home this April, after Easter and the school holidays coincided, New Zealand's statistics department Stats NZ said on Friday.
Overall retail spending rose 0.6 percent in April, after a 0.2-percent dip in March. Retail spending has risen in three out of four months in 2019, after slipping in the last couple of months of 2018, Stats NZ said.
The increase in retail card spending in April coincided with the timing of Easter and the school holidays. Easter fell in the second half of April this year, but fell across March and April in 2018, it said.
"Many employees took three days off to get a 10-day holiday over the Easter and Anzac Day period," retail statistics manager Sue Chapman said in a statement, adding retail sales increased despite the reduced trading hours in April.
In April, spending on eating out and staying away from home (hospitality) rose 0.6 percent on March, and spending on groceries rose 0.5 percent, statistics showed.
April also saw a partial bounce back in sales of clothes and shoes, as apparel sales rose 1.8 percent, after falling 2.9 percent in March, according to Stats NZ.
Fuel and durables also drove the increase in retail spending, Chapman said, adding the increase in fuel spending was due to climbing fuel prices, it said.
The retail durables industry, which includes furniture, hardware, appliances, and pharmaceutical retailing, bounced back after a 1.7-percent decrease in March.
In actual terms, retail spending using electronic cards was 5.3 billion New Zealand dollars (3.5 billion U.S. dollars), up 4.5 percent from April 2018, Stats NZ said.
