The National Accounts results for the December 2025 quarter side with the RBA’s view that the consumer is in a strong position. Household income growth of 6.9% for the quarter (year on year) is well above trend. Consumer spending growth was 5.6% and discretionary spending outpaced staples spending. We view the December 2025 quarter as the peak in spending for the cycle. The combination of higher interest rates and higher petrol prices are likely to dent income growth and spending. However, the headlines about higher petrol prices may be worse than the actual outcome. A 15-35 cent lift in petrol prices would result in a 0.4% to 0.9% slowdown in retail sales growth on our estimates.

The link provides a presentation associated with a webinar we held. The webinar addressed our retail sales forecasts for 2026. We addressed the outlook for the Australian retail sector in 2026 and beyond. The sector had a strong finish to 2025 but the outlook is more hazy with risks to both sales momentum and gross margins emerging. 

The national accounts for the September 2025 quarter provide an insight to the strength of the Australian consumer. The ABS has revised up historical income growth and in the September quarter household income rose 6.7%, with consumer spending up 5.7%. Income growth has averaged close to 8% so far in 2025. No wonder discretionary retail spending began growing above trend this year. The challenge is identifying sources that will result in any further acceleration in retail spending in 2026. We expect retail spending to continue to trend near current levels. The upside case relies on lower household savings which is possible if house prices rise double-digits, a low probability now given the lack of interest rate cuts any time soon.

The link provides a presentation associated with a webinar we held. The webinar addressed our retail sales forecasts for FY26. We addressed the crucial time for retailers that is the festive season and how trends may shift across retail categories. While the macro-economic backdrop is conducive, what will it take to see stronger sales growth?  

New Zealand has been a challenging retail market for most companies over the past 18 months. However, there are clear signs retail sales are likely to improve. Rate cuts of 250bp that began in August 2024 are starting to boost incomes and recent sales trends have been stronger. We expect NZ retail spending to rebound to 3.6% growth in FY26e, up from 0.6% growth in FY25. The three retailers with the largest sales exposure and upside to better NZ sales trends are Ampol, Harvey Norman and Bapcor.  NZ could account for 2%-3.5% in operating profit growth for these companies.

The Australian national accounts for the June 2025 quarter explain the strength in retail sales over the same time period. In the quarter, household income rose 7.6% and the seasonally adjusted savings rate dropped by one percentage point. Broader consumer spending rose 4.8% in the June quarter and retail spending rose 4.2%, the strongest rate of growth in two years. Can the retail sales momentum continue? With income growth likely to slow in FY26e, a further drop in savings will be needed to support retail spending. We expect retail spending to rise 3.9% in FY26e, ahead of FY25 at 3.3% growth.

The link provides a presentation associated with a webinar we held. The webinar addressed our retail sales forecasts for FY26e. The outlook remains constructive for retail spending in FY26e, interest rates are falling and tax cuts are providing stimulus for households, but population growth is slowing and income growth may not rise further from here. We assessed the willingness of consumers to dip into savings to drive retail spending higher.  

The National Accounts results make for stimulating reading for consumer-facing businesses because household income growth has accelerated at the same time as cost of living pressures have eased. Financial conditions are good. The March 2025 quarter showed household income growth of 6.7% with consumer spending rising 4.2%. Households are now saving 5.2% of their income. The dilemma in our mind is whether conditions accelerate from here. We expect the rate of retail sales growth, currently trending at 4%, to persist over the next 12 months. While interest rate cuts will help, a slowdown in population and lapping the income tax cuts means income growth is actually likely to slow a little, making it hard to see an acceleration in retail sales growth.

This is a chart pack from our webinar presentation following our April 2025 updated retail forecasts. The chart pack addresses the retail sales outlook, household income growth and savings. We also address the topical issues of US tariffs, the Australian dollar and wage rate growth. The presentation pack has a link to the webinar recording.

Australian national accounts for the December 2024 quarter paint a clear picture on the drivers of a noticeable improvement in retail spending over that time period. Household income rose 5.6% with wages growth of 6.1%. Retail spending was up 4.0%. It appears close to half the tax cuts have been spent and non-retail spending is no longer crowding out spend. From here, sales growth should improve modestly as retail captures its fair share of the wallet. A slowdown in population growth of circa 0.5% needs to be taken into consideration as a partial offset and, along with low prevailing savings rate, informs our view that the retail upswing will be modest over the next 12 months.