Inside Retail presents the Australian Retail Index.

The index gives a quick overview of retail statistics in four key categories; fashion and accessories, furniture and homewares, sporting and recreational, and other.

Key retail statistics are shown weekly, with yearly comparisons available.

Retailers across the country will be breathing a sigh of relief as the pre-Christmas spending starts to ramp up in earnest.

Last week saw a 9.15 per cent rise in sales growth from the previous week, with growth showing in all retail sectors. The predictable increases occurred in fashion and accessories (14.43 per cent) and sporting goods (18.20 per cent), showing that consumers are definitely starting to buy their Christmas presents. The furniture and homewares sector showed a modest increase of 1.46 per cent, which is in line with expectations for this time of year.

The average basket size increased last week by 5.69 per cent, indicating that slightly higher value items are going into the shopping basket. The average units per transaction also increased by 3.38 per cent suggesting that shoppers are adding an extra few gifts to their trolleys.

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