Lockdowns take a toll on Australian retail turnover

Australian retail turnover fell 1.8 per cent in June 2021 as COVID-19 restrictions across multiple states made an impact on the industry.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) all industries except for food retailing (which rose by 1.5 per cent) saw a dip in turnover, with cafes, restaurants and takeaway food services, and clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing seeing the largest falls.

Victoria (down 3.5 per cent) led the state falls in June, with the impact of the state's fourth lockdown more pronounced in June than in May (down 0.9 per cent).

New South Wales (down 2 per cent) and Queensland (down 1.5 per cent) also fell due to stay-at-home restrictions and reduced interstate mobility.

"June's fall in turnover was due to the impact of coronavirus restrictions across multiple states," ABS director of quarterly economy wide surveys Ben James said.

"Victoria saw restrictions from the start of the month, which were gradually eased from the 11th of June. New South Wales, in particular Greater Sydney, saw stay-at-home orders issued towards the end of the month.

"Other states and territories saw interrupted trade due to mini-lockdowns, as well as reduced mobility between states with the tightening of border restrictions."

In seasonally adjusted current price terms, the preliminary estimate shows the June quarter rose by 1.3 per cent compared to the March quarter 2021. This follows a fall of 0.1 per cent in the March quarter 2021.