Wholesale trade was quiet in the December 2018 quarter after two strong quarterly rises, Stats NZ said today.
The seasonally adjusted total sales value for wholesale trade fell 0.1 percent in the December 2018 quarter, following a 2.2 percent rise in the September 2018 quarter.
| Quarter | Percentage |
| Dec-12 | 0.5 |
| Mar-13 | 1 |
| Jun-13 | -0.7 |
| Sep-13 | 1.3 |
| Dec-13 | 2.1 |
| Mar-14 | 0.5 |
| Jun-14 | 2.1 |
| Sep-14 | -0.5 |
| Dec-14 | 0.4 |
| Mar-15 | 0.1 |
| Jun-15 | -0.1 |
| Sep-15 | 2.6 |
| Dec-15 | -0.3 |
| Mar-16 | 0 |
| Jun-16 | 1.1 |
| Sep-16 | 0.8 |
| Dec-16 | 1.2 |
| Mar-17 | 2.3 |
| Jun-17 | 1.6 |
| Sep-17 | 0.9 |
| Dec-17 | 3.5 |
| Mar-18 | 0 |
| Jun-18 | 2.7 |
| Sep-18 | 2.2 |
| Dec-18 | -0.1 |
“Results across the industries were mixed, with one large fall mainly offset by three small rises,” wholesale trade statistics manager Sue Chapman said.
| Industry | $ |
| Commission-based wholesaling | 31951000 |
| Basic material wholesaling | 24465000 |
| “Grocery | 22720000 |
| liquor | -1589000 |
| and tobacco product wholesaling” | -8323000 |
| Motor vehicle and motor-vehicle parts wholesaling | -116339000 |
| Other goods wholesaling | |
| Machinery and equipment wholesaling | |
The largest industry decrease was in machinery and equipment wholesaling, which was down 2.1 percent ($116 million).
“The December sales growth in machinery and equipment wholesaling was softer than usual, so we are seeing lower sales in seasonally adjusted terms,” Ms Chapman said.
The actual stock value of machinery and equipment wholesaling had a modest 0.8 percent rise in December 2018 quarter than in the September 2018 quarter.
Machinery and equipment wholesaling includes agricultural and construction machinery, computers, and electrical and electronic goods.
The actual value of total wholesale trade sales was $29.3 billion in the December 2018 quarter, up $1.3 billion (4.8 percent) from the December 2017 quarter.
