The retail sector is recording strong growth according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) has marked a year on year retail trade figure growth of 4.6% as a major win.
It could be good news for fashion retailers as clothing, footwear and personal accessories experienced a 6.5% increase from July 2014-2015.
The sub-sector was pipped to the post only by department stores and household goods.
ARA executive director Russell Zimmerman believes the surge in sales can be attributed to the back end of of winter sales.
“The half yearly sales period has triggered a flurry of activity which has provided a nice boost to the retail industry,” Zimmerman said.
“Department stores, which have been experiencing yearly growth of around one to two percent for the past 12 months, have seen a 6.9 percent rise.
“This will be music to the department store chain’s ears, coming off the back of a long period of static growth.
“The household goods category has also been a beneficiary of the retail spending increases, recording the largest rise at 9.6%.
“Clothing, footwear and personal accessories has now seen six consecutive months of above average growth, indicating this category is back on track following an earlier lag in sales.”
New South Wales appears to be the biggest hub for retail growth at 6%, followed by Victoria, South Australia and ACT at 4.8%; Queensland at 3.7%; Western Australia at 3.1%; and Tasmania at 2.8 per cent.
Northern Territory is the only Australian state that has recorded a slight slump in growth with a year on year decline of -0.8%.