Queensland bought up big on gardening supplies as canned soup flew off shelves
Queensland shoppers went on their biggest spending spree on record during the height of the coronavirus crisis.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics has released its March retail sales report, which shows an 8.8 per cent spike in the value of purchases.
Bunnings has seen a surge in shoppers during the pandemic, with DIY spending skyrocketing.Credit:Wayne Taylor
Hoarding and panic-buying soared during March, forcing supermarkets to enforce spending limits on certain items.
"There was unprecedented demand in food retailing, household goods and other retailing," said Ben James, the director of quarterly economy wide surveys at ABS.
"However the impact of social-distancing regulations saw sales fall in cafes, restaurants and takeaway food services, and discretionary spending in clothing footwear and personal accessory retailing, and department stores, was also weak."
Sales at hardware and gardening stores soared last month, with millions of Queenslanders stuck at home with not much to do.
At the same time, sales at cafes and restaurants fell through the floor, with turnover plummeting 32 per cent in Queensland.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk hopes to reopen cafes and restaurants by June if new infections of COVID-19 remain low.
Supermarkets across the state saw a 21 per cent rise in sale revenue with shoppers buying up big on pasta and toilet paper.
Nationally, turnover jumped by 39 per cent for non-perishable goods with a long shelf life, such as flour, sugar, canned fruit and vegetables, confectionery and long-life milk.
Canned and dried mix soup was a favourite during the pandemic, with sales increasing by 180 per cent compared with February.
With many stores closed due to physical distancing rules, online shopping contributed 7.1 per cent to total retail turnover last month - up from 5.7 per cent at the same time last year.