Christchurch’s total retail and hospitality spending continues to outpace that of the national level, a report from Statistics New Zealand revealed.
Christchurch’s retail and hospitality turnover rose 1.5 per cent in the December quarter compared with the 1.2 per cent increase at the national level during the same period.
“Increased spending in the retail and hospitality businesses, particularly over the last two quarters, has further widened the gap in growth for Christchurch ahead of the rest of the country,” said business indicators manager, Tehseen Islam.
Islam added there was an influx of new businesses in the city in the latter half of 2015.
Looking at the longer-term picture, Christchurch’s trend for retail and hospitality sales has risen 33 per cent since the June 2010 quarter, before the earthquakes began, compared with the 24 per cent increase at the national level over the same period.
Christchurch’s total sales for the December 2015 quarter was $2.2 billion, up 5.1 per cent compared to the previous corresponding period. This follows a 4.2-per cent increase in the September 2015 quarter.
The Christchurch retail trade indicator series measures activity in the retail and hospitality industries. It provides information on the state of these industries after the Canterbury earthquakes that began in September 2010.
