As part of its new commitment to provide up-to-date statistics and data to closely track the economic impact of COVID-19, the Australian Bureau of Statistics has released its first preliminary retail turnover data report for February 2020.
Based on preliminary figures, the ABS estimates that Australian retail turnover will experience a 0.4% rise in February driven by food retailing.
This rise in food retailing will be offset by falls in industries such as clothing, footwear and personal accessories and other retailing.
The ABS reports that while some businesses (e.g. those that rely on tourism) are reporting that coronavirus is negatively impacting turnover, a range of other businesses are expected to see limited impacts from coronavirus in February.
This data will be subject to review, with the final monthly estimate published April 03 2020.