Australia provisional retail sales up 3.3% in July

FILE PHOTO: Customers separated by protective plexiglass shields are seen in the self-service checkout area of a Coles supermarket following the easing of restrictions implemented to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Sydney, Australia, June 17, 2020. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

Australian retail sales rose again in July, preliminary data showed on Friday, with gains in all states and territories except Victoria which relapsed into a lockdown last month following a surge in novel coronavirus cases.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics on Friday reported its preliminary estimate of retail sales rose to A$30.75 billion ($22.14 billion) in July, up a robust 12.2% on the same month last year.

This compares to an average annual rise of 2.9% in the financial year ended June 2020, the ABS said.

Household goods retailing led the monthly rises in July with turnover soaring 30% from a year ago, with sales of furniture, whitegoods and electrical items remaining strong.

($1 = 1.3891 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Swati Pandey; Editing by Shri Navaratnam)