Retail turnover figures for December 2015 shot up four percent year on year, according to The Australian Bureau Of Statistics.
This growth backs up a 4.2 percent year on year growth in November 2015, with Christmas shopping bolstering sales.
Total retail spend for December 2015 was $24.8 billion.
The biggest growth came out of household goods in December, with a 5.6 percent increase over December 2014, followed by department stores, with a five percent rise.
Victoria saw the lion’s share of growth on a state basis at 5.5 percent, with Tasmania continuing its strong growth trajectory of the last few months, increasing sales by 5.2 per cent.
In terms of online spend for December, the NAB Online Retail Sales Index indicates that e-commerce sales increased a whopping 11.2 percent on December 2014.
A total of 1$9.1 billion was spent online in 2015 according to NAB, 6.6 percent of the total retail market.
Australian Retailers Association executive director Russell Zimmerman said this year will be a formative one for retailers.
“We’re hopeful the trend of steady growth will continue throughout 2016, with many retailers well positioned to leverage off these improvements with new innovations across online, omni-channel, and bricks and mortar stores.
“I think we’ll see 2016 become a year of business evolution for retail, with a host of digitally-based advancements enabling the merging of the online and offline shopping worlds into a more seamless experience.”
YEAR ON YEAR RETAIL GROWTH (December 2014 to December 2015 seasonally adjusted)
By category:
Food, 3.2 percent; household goods, 5.6 percent; clothing, footwear and personal accessories, 4.5 percent; department stores, five percent; other retailing, 4.5 percent; cafés, restaurants and takeaway foods, 3.2 percent.
By state:
NSW, 4.5 percent; Victoria, 5.4 percent; Queensland, 3.1 percent; South Australia, 3.4 percent; Western Australia, 1.2 percent; Tasmania, 5.2 percent; Northern Territory, 0.8 percent; and Australian Capital Territory, 4.4 percent.