NZ first quarter retail sales rise, driven by car sales

NZ first quarter retail sales rise, driven by car sales
Rebecca Howard
By Rebecca Howard May 15 (BusinessDesk) - New Zealand retail sales rose in the first quarter, powered higher by a surge in car sales. The volume of retail sales increased a seasonally adjusted 1.5 percent in the three months ended March 31, from a 0.9 percent rise in the December quarter, Statistics New Zealand said. The total value of retail sales, seasonally adjusted, rose 2.6 percent in the quarter to $21.7 billion, ahead of the 1.6 percent pace in the December quarter.  The rise in the volume of retail sales was driven by motor veh...