Australia retail sales flat in April as consumers cut back on food, dining out

Pedestrians outside the Westfield shopping mall in Sydney, New South Wales. — Bloomberg

SYDNEY: Australian retail sales were flat in April as consumers, who face high living costs and rising interest rates, cut back spending on food and dining out, bolstering the case for a pause in rate hikes next month.

Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on Friday showed retail sales were unchanged in April from March, when they rose 0.4%. Analysts had looked for 0.2% growth.