Australian retail sales fell 0.2% to a seasonally adjusted $19.72bn in September from $19.75bn in August and rose from $18.60bn a year earlier, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said.
Economists surveyed ahead of the announcement on average had expected a 0.4% rise in sales for September. Sales had risen 0.7% in August on month.
The bureau said the trend estimate for retail sales rose 0.4% to $19.78bn in September from August. The trend estimate further smoothes the seasonally adjusted numbers.Sales also fell 0.4% in the third quarter from the second, in chain volume terms, compared with expectations for a fall of 0.3%.