Clothing and footwear sales have risen by 4.4 per cent in the first quarter of FY26 across the Vicinity Centres shopping centre portfolio.
The ASX-listed commercial real estate group – which manages over 50 retail locations across Australia, including Chatswood Chase, Chadstone, the Queen Victoria Building, The Galeries, Emporium Melbourne and eight outlet centres – shared the sales numbers in a trading update today, which shows that the 4.4 per cent lift in fashion sales in Q1 followed a 3 per cent lift recorded in the fourth quarter of FY25, and a 0.9 per cent decline in the third quarter.
Vicinity Centres Moving annual total (MAT) sales across Vicinity Centres to September 2025 were up 2.2 per cent in the fashion space.
The swing up in fashion sales in the first quarter added to a 5.9 per cent lift in sales across specialties and mini majors, with that number down from a 6 per cent growth reported in the fourth quarter of FY25, and a 3.1 per cent lift in the third quarter.
Jewellery sales growth was higher, percentage-wise, in the first quarter of FY26, up 7.5 per cent, just below an 11.2 per cent boom in the leisure category. Leisure is believed to include the likes of bookstores, outdoor gear and equipment, pet supplies, art supplies and toys.
MAT sales to September 2025 across specialties and mini majors was up 4.8 per cent. Across the total portfolio, MAT sales were up 3.5 per cent, with first quarter sales up 4.4 per cent for the total portfolio. Fourth quarter of FY25 sales were up 5.1 per cent across the total portfolio.
Supermarkets had the lowest growth in the first quarter of FY26, up just 0.8 per cent. Discount department stores grew 1.7 per cent in the first quarter, with standard department stores (ie: David Jones and Myer) up 4.2 per cent. Vicinity Centres noted that supermarkets and discount department stores were cycling strong comparative periods.
Vicinity Centres also reported a 3.8 per cent lift in luxury sales in the first quarter.
“While shoppers are benefiting from lower mortgage rates and easing cost of living pressures, our active portfolio remixing and an enhanced retail asset portfolio – I believe – has been and continues to be a meaningful driver of robust sales growth,” Vicinity CEO and managing director Peter Huddle said.
“Since 2019, we have actively invested in 44 of our 51 assets. In addition to ambience upgrades to maintain asset vibrancy, our investment has largely focused on ensuring the retail offer in each centre is contemporary, fit for purpose and importantly, satisfies the – often unique – demands of customers across different catchments.”