Retailers across the country are surprisingly optimistic in the face of ongoing economic challenges. 

The latest Retail NZ report reveals nearly 70% of retailers are confident their business will survive the next year, up from 57% for the same period last year. 

This comes despite 62% of retailers failing to meet sales targets for the same period.  

Retail NZ CEO Carolyn Young told Mike Hosking that optimism is stronger in the provinces and rural areas than it is in major cities like Auckland and Wellington. 

She says that the success the rural sector is experiencing is putting funds back into the local economies, which is creating more buoyancy. 

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