Wholesale trade sales rose 2.8 percent in the March 2022 quarter to reach $34.9 billion, following a rise of 6.9 percent in the December 2021 quarter, Stats NZ said today.
When adjusting for seasonal effects, wholesale trade industry sales rose by $957 million. In the same period, the output producer prices index for wholesale trade rose by 2.5 percent as measured by business price indexes.
“Although wholesale trade sales increased in the March quarter, we should be mindful of the role rising prices play within the economy,” business financial statistics manager Melissa McKenzie said.
For more information about industry price changes, see Business price indexes: March 2022 quarter.
| Quarter | Percent change from previous quarter |
| Mar-19 | 0.6 |
| Jun-19 | 0.1 |
| Sep-19 | 0.5 |
| Dec-19 | 0.7 |
| Mar-20 | 0.5 |
| Jun-20 | -11.4 |
| Sep-20 | 17.9 |
| Dec-20 | -2.1 |
| Mar-21 | 3.8 |
| Jun-21 | 3.6 |
| Sep-21 | 2.1 |
| Dec-21 | 6.9 |
| Mar-22 | 2.8 |
The March 2022 quarter marks the fifth consecutive quarterly rise for wholesale trade sales. Wholesale trade also saw the largest industry sales value increase within the business financial data collection.
“The business financial data collection covers 26 high level industries, of which 17 had increased sales for the March quarter. It is likely that the effect of inflation played a role in these increased sales,” Ms McKenzie said.
| Industry | Machinery and equipment wholesaling | Other goods wholesaling |
|---|---|---|
| Mar-21 | 6091665000 | 4670098000 |
| Jun-21 | 6228611000 | 4811117000 |
| Sep-21 | 6205720000 | 4829028000 |
| Dec-21 | 6766103000 | 5303725000 |
| Mar-22 | 7314297000 | 5656569000 |
Within the wholesale trade industry, machinery and equipment wholesaling led the rise this quarter. Sales increased by $548 million, up 8.1 percent, compared with the December 2021 quarter.
The second largest increase came from other goods wholesaling, which saw an increase of $353 million, up by 6.7 percent. Other goods wholesaling includes the sale of textiles, furniture, and pharmaceutical and toiletry goods, among other things.
