Australia’s retail turnover dropped by 0.1 per cent in April 2025, reaching US $ 37.20 billion—somewhat below the US $ 37.23 billion recorded in March. New data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) attributes the turndown mainly to reduced consumer spending in fashion and department stores, which collectively dropped by US $ 124.2 million.
Spending on clothing, footwear, and different accessories fell by 2.5 per cent, with clothing retail sales dropping by US $ 67.7 million and footwear and personal accessories slipping by US $ 8.5 million. Department store sales also slumped 2.5 per cent, down US $ 48 million to US $ 1.89 billion.
ABS head of business statistics Robert Ewing clarified that strangely warm April weather led shoppers to postpone buying winter apparel, which considerably bring about a great impact on sales. However, overall fashion spending remained just US $ 3 billion for the month.
On an annual basis, in general, retail spending grew by 3.8 per cent with fashion sales climbing by US $ 45.7 million. In the meantime, department store turnover held stable, showing continuous consumer caution toward non-essential categories.
