The growth in Christchurch’s retail and hospitality sectors is above that of national levels, reported Statistics New Zealand.

Retail and hospitality sales increased 1.2 per cent following seasonal fluctuations in the September 2014 quarter, compared with the national increase of 0.9 per cent.

“Increased spending in retail and hospitality businesses has further widened the gap in growth for Christchurch ahead of the rest of the country,” Neil Kelly, Statistics NZ business indicators manager, said.

Pre-earthquake figures from June 2010 show that since then retail and hospitality sales have risen 25 per cent, compared with 17 per cent nationally.

Retail and hospitality sales in Christchurch were 7.1 per cent higher in the September quarter compared with the same period in 2013.