Australia - Real Retail Sales

For Australia, survey-based estimates of the value of turnover of "retail trade" for businesses classified by industry and by geo (state and territory), with three analytic variants (trend, seasonally adjusted and original).

Combinations on Data Buffet: Monthly results at current prices, and quarterly results at constant prices; monthly results broken out by geo (state and territory), for the all-industries total only; monthly and quarterly results broken out by industry, for the country only.

Active / current prices / monthly:

• Industry classification: ANZSIC 2006
• Measurement: Millions of Australian dollars at current prices (Mil. AUD)
• Adjustments:
  • Trend
  • Seasonally adjusted (SA)
  • Not seasonally adjusted (NSA)
• Native frequency: Monthly
• Start date: Uniformly 1982m4
• Geo coverage:
  • Country
  • State/territory (IAUS_^^) - for all-industries total only

Active / constant prices / quarterly:

• Industry classification: ANZSIC 2006
• Measurement: Millions of Australian dollars at constant fiscal year 2020 prices (Mil. FY 2020 AUD)
• Adjustments: Same as above
• Native frequency: Quarterly
• Start date: Uniformly 1983Q3
• Geo coverage: Country

Predecessors:

• FY 2020 prices - 1982m4 to 2022m8, 1983Q3 to 2022Q2 (archive specifier "_20")
• FY 2019 prices - 1982m4 to 2021m9, 1983Q3 to 2021Q2 ("_19")
• FY 2018 prices - 1982m4 to 2020m8, 1983Q3 to 2020Q2 ("_18")
• 2008 prices - 1982m4 to 2008m6 ("08")

Estimates of turnover are compiled from the monthly Retail Business Survey. About 500 'large' businesses are included in the survey every month, while a sample of about 2,700 'smaller' businesses is selected. The Survey is conducted monthly primarily by telephone interview although a small number of questionnaires are mailed to businesses.

The reference year is advanced each September issue and is currently 2018-19. Each year's data in the Retail chain volume series are based on the prices of the previous year, except for the quarters of the 2019-20 financial year which will initially be based upon price data for the 2017-18 financial year.

Trend series

The trend estimates are sometimes suspended in response to unusual influences, such as the Federal Government Economic Security Strategy Package (2008) and the COVID-19 pandemic (2020). In the notes to each monthly release, the source wrote:

The trend series attempts to measure underlying behaviour in retail activity. In the short term, this measurement will be significantly affected by changes to regular patterns in retail spending that will occur during the Coronavirus pandemic. If the trend estimates in this publication were to be calculated without fully accounting for irregular events, they would likely provide a misleading view of underlying retail activity.

The retail trend series was therefore suspended from February 2020, and now published only to June 2019. The trend series will be reinstated when more certainty emerges in the underlying trend in retail.

Seasonally adjusted results are subject to revision (i.e., recurring update of seasonal factors).

The currency reference year is advanced annually.

Further reading

At the source:

• ANZSIC
• Retail Trade, Explanatory Notes, Oct 2016
• Retail Trade, Australia methodology, Sep 2020
• Retail Trade, Australia methodology, Sep 2022
• Survey impacts and changes incl. COVID-19