Retail in 2024: The big picture
The high cost of living remained a key barrier to retail expenditure in New Zealand over 2024. Prices were elevated despite easing inflation, with the annual rate falling back within the Reserve Bank of New Zealand's target range.
Highly promotional retail environment
Prolonged economic uncertainties have shifted normal spending patterns in New Zealand, with purchasing decisions becoming more strategic and intentional. Consumers cut back on expenditure to cope with the cost-of-living crisis, with many waiting for sales and discount periods before making larger discretionary purchases.
Retail crime on the rise amidst tough economic period
New Zealand has experienced an 86% increase in retail crime over the past five years. Government intervention is in place, with retailers collaborating with police to ensure offenders are kept off the street and are being held accountable.
What next for retail?
New Zealand’s economy is projected to experience a gradual recovery in the upcoming years, following a challenging period marked by inflationary pressures. GDP growth is expected to stabilise in line with lower interest rates and improving consumer confidence.
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Overview:
Understand the latest market trends and future growth opportunities for the Retail industry in New Zealand with research from Euromonitor International's team of in-country analysts – experts by industry and geographic specialisation.
Key trends are clearly and succinctly summarised alongside the most current research data available. Understand and assess competitive threats and plan corporate strategy with our qualitative analysis, insight and confident growth projections.
Data and analysis in this report provides further detailed coverage dedicated to the following key categories, where applicable:
- Convenience Stores
- Discounters
- Hypermarkets
- Supermarkets
- Traditional Grocery Retailers
- Apparel and Footwear Specialist Retailers
- Electronics and Appliance Specialist Retailers
- Health and Beauty Specialist Retailers
- Home and Garden Specialist Retailers
- Department Stores
- Variety Stores
- Warehouse Clubs
- Direct Selling
- Homeshopping
- Vending
If you're in the Retail industry in New Zealand, our research will help you to make informed, intelligent decisions; to recognise and profit from opportunity, or to offer resilience amidst market uncertainty.
The Retail in New Zealand report includes:
- Analysis of key retail trends
- Detailed segmentation of offline and online retail sales
- Historic channel sizes (retail value sales, outlet counts, and selling space)
- Company and brand market shares (retail value sales and outlet counts)
- Five year forecasts of market trends and market growth
- Robust and transparent research methodology, conducted in-country
This report answers:
- What is the market size of Retail in New Zealand?
- Which are the leading retailers in Retail in New Zealand?
- How are products distributed in Retail in New Zealand?
- How is the rise of e-commerce and the expansion of modern grocery retail impacting traditional retail?
- How significant are discounters and private label in New Zealand?
- To what extent are sales shifting towards digital channels?
- What is the long-term outlook for bricks-and-mortar?
- How is macroeconomic and political uncertainty affecting the retail industry?
- What types of retailers are seeing the fastest growth in digital sales?
- What is the future of retail?
Retail in New Zealand
Retail in 2024: The big picture
Highly promotional retail environment
Retail crime on the rise amidst tough economic period
What next for retail?
Informal retail
Opening hours for physical retail
Seasonality
Christmas
End of Financial Year Sale
DISCLAIMER
Convenience Retailers in New Zealand
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Convenience stores are squeezed by inflation
Retail crime continues to be a major problem for convenience stores
Challenges as government tightens restrictions on vapes
Rise of e-commerce continues to pose a challenge for convenience stores
Foodservice sector presents convenience retailers with opportunity for growth
Roll out of unstaffed convenience retailing helps to lower fuel prices
Supermarkets in New Zealand
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Leading supermarkets face criminal charges for alleged inaccurate pricing and misleading marketing
Investors call for Woolworths to sell off NZ division
Merger of Foodstuffs North Island and South Island is declined by the Commerce Commission
Steady growth outlook as consumers remain cautious
Heavier investments into EVs as supermarkets anticipate rapid uptake
Private label must look to retain customers as purchasing power recovers
Hypermarkets in New Zealand
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Cost-of-living crisis strengthens Kmart’s performance
Warehouse Group's sales decline due to lower foot traffic and fewer stores
Hypermarket channel becomes a one-stop shop for consumers
Kmart to open its largest store with 24/7 trading
Digitalisation is focus for hypermarket retailers to stay top of mind among consumers
Private label to be a strong focus for consumers and retailers alike
Small Local Grocers in New Zealand
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Local grocers struggle to compete due to inflationary pressures
Retail crime a concern for small businesses on top of rising costs
Asian supermarket Foodie opens in New Zealand
Small local grocers face more challenges in upcoming years
Establishing emotional connections can help smaller groceries thrive
Quality of produce and exclusive items may help channel stay competitive
General Merchandise Stores in New Zealand
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Department stores suffer ongoing pain from economic downturn
Variety stores maintain growth despite cost-of-living pressures
Regular discounting and sales periods encourage repeat business
Department stores face challenging period amid weak economy
Variety stores can compete with pricing strategies and product range
Development of e-commerce a major obstacle to general merchandise stores
Apparel and Footwear Specialists in New Zealand
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Apparel and footwear specialists under pressure from weak economy
Fragmented competitive landscape as consumers prefer shopping around
Bricks-and-mortar presence important despite growth in e-commerce retailing
Gradual economic recovery to support consumer spending
Sustainability and ethical consumption on the rise
Enhancing the in-store experience to make the brand stand out
Appliances and Electronics Specialists in New Zealand
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Cost of living crisis continues to limit discretionary spending
JB Hi-Fi growth continues in New Zealand
Sustainability continues to be a driving factor behind replacing appliances
New Zealand government announces plans for new public housing
Static competitive landscape expected as consumers seek reliability
Physical retailers must find ways to keep up with rapid growth of e-commerce
Home Products Specialists in New Zealand
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Economic pressures continue to weaken demand for home products in New Zealand
Bunnings Warehouse enjoys robust revenue growth
Mitre 10 New Zealand faces high debts following digital transformation
Ikea is on track to open its first store in New Zealand
Omnichannel offerings will remain key as home improvement retailers recover
Pet shops face increasing competition from supermarkets and e-commerce
Health and Beauty Specialists in New Zealand
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Beauty specialist retailers continue to perform positively despite cost-of-living pressures
Growth rate of pharmacies shows resilience during economic downturn
Mecca continues to lead while Chemist Warehouse gains share
Beauty retailers face bright outlook
Strong performance to continue in pharmacy channel
In-store shopping experience will be key point of difference
Vending in New Zealand
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Vending sees some recovery but still not at pre-pandemic levels
Food and drink-based vending machines take leading position
Grocery retailer New World launches last-minute present vending machines
Vending channel faces more promising outlook
Health and wellness is in focus for vending machines
Innovation in vending could diversify the customer base
Direct Selling in New Zealand
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Declining performance for direct selling channel in changing consumer landscape
Beauty and consumer health products vital for direct sellers in New Zealand
Brands pursue different methods of engaging with customers
Gloomy outlook for direct selling channel
Selling products outside of the direct selling channel could attract new customers
Digitalisation through social media platforms may enhance appeal
Retail E-Commerce in New Zealand
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Small rebound in e-commerce value growth
Omnichannel strategy is the new standard for New Zealand retailers
Woolworths is leading the transition towards grocery e-commerce
Healthy outlook for retail e-commerce
High price sensitivity will drive e-commerce adoption
Online marketplaces to drive sales growth
The following categories and subcategories are included:
Retail
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- Convenience Stores
- Forecourt Retailers
- Supermarkets
- Hypermarkets
- Discounters
- Warehouse Clubs
- Food/Drink/Tobacco Specialists
- Small Local Grocers
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- Department Stores
- Variety Stores
- Apparel and Footwear Specialists
- Appliances and Electronics Specialists
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- Home Improvement and Gardening Stores
- Homewares and Home Furnishing Stores
- Pet Shops and Superstores
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- Beauty Specialists
- Pharmacies
- Optical Goods Stores
- Health and Personal Care Stores
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- Bags and Luggage Specialists
- Jewellery and Watch Specialists
- Sports Goods Stores
- Traditional Toys and Games Stores
- Other Non-Grocery Retailers
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- Fashion Vending
- Health and Beauty Vending
- Appliances and Electronics Vending
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- Alcoholic Drinks Vending
- Hot Drinks Vending
- Soft Drinks Vending
- Tobacco Products Vending
- Foods Vending
- Home Products Vending
- Other Products Vending
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- Apparel and Footwear Direct Selling
- Personal Accessories Direct Selling
- Eyewear Direct Selling
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- Beauty and Personal Care Direct Selling
- Consumer Health Direct Selling
- Tissue and Hygiene Direct Selling
- Appliances and Electronics Direct Selling
- Drinks and Tobacco Direct Selling
- Foods Direct Selling
- Home Products Direct Selling
- Other Products Direct Selling
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- Apparel and Footwear E-Commerce
- Personal Accessories E-Commerce
- Eyewear E-Commerce
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- Beauty and Personal Care E-Commerce
- Consumer Health E-Commerce
- Tissue and Hygiene E-Commerce
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- Consumer Appliances E-Commerce
- Consumer Electronics E-Commerce
- Toys and Games E-Commerce
- Drinks and Tobacco E-Commerce
- Foods E-Commerce
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- Home Care E-Commerce
- Home and Garden E-Commerce
- Pet Care E-Commerce
- Other Products E-Commerce
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- First-Party (1P) Marketplace E-Commerce
- Third-Party (3P) Marketplace E-Commerce
- Grocery E-Commerce
- General Merchandiser E-Commerce
- Apparel and Footwear Specialist E-Commerce
- Appliances and Electronics Specialist E-Commerce
- Home Products Specialist E-Commerce
- Health and Beauty Specialist E-Commerce
- Leisure and Personal Goods Specialist E-Commerce
- Other E-Commerce Retailers
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Retail
Retail is the sale of new and used goods to consumers from a business for personal or household consumption from retail outlets, kiosks, market stalls, vending, direct selling and e-commerce. Retail is the aggregation of Retail Offline and Retail E-Commerce. Excludes specialist retailers of motor vehicles, motorcycles, vehicle parts. Also excludes fuel sales, foodservice sales, rental transactions, and wholesale sales (e.g. Cash and Carry). Sales value excluding or including VAT/Sales Tax. Retail also excludes the informal retail sector. Informal retailing is retail trade which is not declared to the tax authorities. Informal retailing encompasses (a) sales generated by unregistered and unlicensed retailers, i.e. retailers operating illegally, and (b) any proportion of sales generated by a registered and licensed retailer that is not declared to the tax authorities. Unregistered and unlicensed retailers operate predominantly (although not exclusively) as street hawkers or operate open market stalls, as these channels are harder for the authorities to monitor than permanent outlets. Activities in the illegal market, which is usually understood to refer to trade in illegal, counterfeit or stolen merchandise, are included within our definition of informal retailing. Activities in the “grey market”, which is usually understood to refer to trade in legal merchandise that is sold through unauthorized channels – for example cigarettes bought legally in another country, legally imported, but sold at lower prices than in authorized channels – will be included as informal retailing if no tax is paid on sale by the retailer. However if the retailer pays tax – for example on cigarettes bought legally in another country but sold at a lower price than standard – the sale is included within formal retail.
See all of our definitionsWhy buy this report?
- Gain competitive intelligence about market leaders
- Track key industry trends, opportunities and threats
- Inform your marketing, brand, strategy and market development, sales and supply functions
This report originates from Passport, our Retail research and analysis database.
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