Retail and hospitality sales in Christchurch, New Zealand increased 3.5 percent in the December 2013 quarter, higher than growth posted for national retail and hospitality sales of 1.2 percent.
Statistics New Zeland said the increase in the fourth quarter of 2013 is the largest since the June 2011 quarter. "The surge in spending has pushed Christchurch’s growth further ahead of the national growth," Industry and Labour statistics manager Tehseen Islam said.
Looking at the longer-term picture, the report said the trend for retail and hospitality sales in Christchurch has risen 20 percent since the June 2010 quarter (before the quakes began). This compares with a rise of 14 percent at the national level.
In actual terms, retail and hospitality sales in Christchurch were 8.4 percent higher in the December 2013 quarter than in the same quarter in 2012.