One contributing factor was the growth of larger stores with greater buying power and economies of scale, at the cost of smaller bricks and mortar merchants.
Supermarket and grocery stores made up about 28% of non-auto sales and 16% of retail employees.
[1] The beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand had a major impact on the retail sector.
[3] In 2021, BDO identified the key trends in the New Zealand retail sector to be rising staffing costs, increased online shopping, changing technology, and the need to improve efficiency without compromising customer experience.
[26] New Zealand has several petrol station chains and franchises which supply fuel for cars, motorbikes, trucks and boats.
The three major companies in the New Zealand telecommunications industry operate retail stores.
Infometrics chief forecaster Gareth Kiernan reported there was a 20 percent increase in 2024 in direct imports of low-value goods by households from overseas retailers.
He attributed the growing popularity of online shopping to the COVID-19 lockdowns, the return of international freight and supply chains and the rising cost of living making people more price-sensitive and interested in bargains.
According to NZ Post, 17% of New Zealanders ranked Temu as the online retailer they used the most.
[217] The number of employees has increased from 7,000 to 9,100, except for a decline following the Global Financial Crisis.
[221] Harvey Norman and Smiths City sell a combination of household appliances.
[66] Department store chains like The Warehouse, Farmers and Kmart also sell furniture.
[63][65][68] Liquor retailers can sell beer, wine and cider like supermarkets and grocery stores, as well as spirits and RTDs.
Sales values in the sector increased from $820 million in 2000 to $1.9375 billion in 2021.