April retail sales tipped to be soft

April's retail sales figures are expected to come in soft, amid falling business conditions and higher fuel prices.

Retail sales are expected to have been soft in April.

Official figures on retail spending, due out on Tuesday, are forecast to show sales rose 0.3 per cent in the month.

That would come after a 0.4 per cent rise in March, seasonally adjusted.

ANZ economists noted that business conditions in the retail sector fell while petrol prices rose in the month.

"Retail sales are likely to have been fairly soft in April," the ANZ economists said in a note.