STRONG Tasmanian retail figures are not having an obvious impact in the North of the state, according to the Launceston Chamber of Commerce.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics figures have revealed retail turnover in Tasmania increased by 9.4 per cent in the past year, buoyed by another bumper month of retail spending.
The statewide figure hovered high above the national average increase of 5.3 per cent over the same time period.
However, chamber president Maree Tetlow said she did not get the sense Northern retailers were riding the wave of increased activity.
Ms Tetlow said retail business owners were conveying to her that trade was "pretty static" at present.
"Anecdotally, I don't think we're seeing big rises or upswings of business sentiment in the retail sector," Ms Tetlow said.
"The figures are of course true when you take in the whole of the state, but I don't get the feeling the North is replicating the retail surge."
Ms Tetlow said among Northern retailers doing well were those who had carved out a niche in the market and embraced online technologies.
But she said not all those in the sector were enjoying success.
Ms Tetlow said she hoped the ABS statistics reflected an overall rise in consumer confidence across Tasmania.
"I hope we have turned the corner as a state and perhaps the North is just lagging slightly," she said.