NZ credit, debit card retail spending rises 0.7% in February, 10th straight gain

NZ credit, debit card retail spending rises 0.7% in February, 10th straight gain
Jonathan Underhill
By Jonathan Underhill March 9 (BusinessDesk) - New Zealand retail spending on electronic cards rose for a 10th straight month in February, led by an increase in consumables such as food and liquor. Retail spending rose 0.7 percent, seasonally adjusted, in February from January and actual sales in the month were up 9.3 percent to $4.64 billion compared with February 2015, Statistics New Zealand said. Core retail spending, which excludes vehicle-related industries, rose 1.2 percent, mainly reflecting the decline in petrol prices, with fuel...