Business survival rates in the retail trade industry in New Zealand

Survival rate is the percentage of enterprise births (in the business demography population) in each reference year that survives into future reference years (surviving enterprise births divided by total enterprise births for a particular reference year). To be a survivor, the enterprise must have existed at every reference year between its birth year and the given reference year.
Birth: occurs when a new enterprise starts operation (ie a combination of production factors is created, and no other national businesses are involved). Births do not include entries into the population due to reactivations, mergers, break-ups, split-offs, or other restructuring of a group of businesses linked by ownership or control. Changes to characteristics of existing businesses are not births (this is largely based on, and fully consistent with, the Eurostat definition of enterprise births). To be a birth in the business demography population, the enterprise and associated geographic units existed at neither time T-1 year nor time T-2 years.
Death: occurs when an enterprise ceases operation (ie a combination of production factors is dissolved, and no other domestic businesses are involved). Deaths do not include exits from the population due to temporary inactivity, mergers, takeovers, break-ups, or other restructuring of a group of businesses linked by ownership or control. Changes to characteristics of businesses that remain active are not deaths (this is largely based on, and fully consistent with, the Eurostat definition of enterprise deaths). To be considered a death in the business demography population, the enterprise and associated geographic units exist at neither time T year nor time T+1 year.

Enterprises: A business or service entity operating in New Zealand. It can be a company, partnership, trust, estate, incorporated society, producer board, local or central government organisation, voluntary organisation or self-employed individual.
Employee Count (EC): Employee count is a head-count of all salary and wage earners for the February reference month.
Geographic unit: A separate operating unit engaged in New Zealand in one, or predominately one, kind of economic activity from a single physical location or base.
ANZSIC06: Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification 2006. A business is normally assigned to an ANZSIC06 category according to the predominant activity it is engaged in. ANZSIC06 is a hierarchical classification with four levels: division, subdivision, group, and class.

http://datainfoplus.stats.govt.nz/Item/nz.govt.stats/bdb02aa2-866e-418f-83e8-342234867a0f#/nz.govt.stats/18188cee-fadc-4b58-8e22-b580cb72240d/4

Statistical Business Register (SBR) supports quality national-level and aggregate industry-level statistics but is not designed to provide quality fine-level regional or industry statistics. The SBR update sources can have timing lags and less robust information for small and medium-sized enterprises. These quality weaknesses can be highlighted in fine-level business demography statistics.

Business demography statistics coverage is limited to economically significant enterprises that are engaged in producing goods and services in New Zealand. An enterprise must meet at least ONE of the following criteria:
- annual expenses or sales subject to GST of more than $30,000
- 12-month rolling mean employee count of greater than three
- part of a group of enterprises
- registered for GST and involved in agriculture or forestry
- over $40,000 of income recorded in the IR10 annual tax return (this includes some units in residential property leasing and rental).

All non-trading or dormant enterprises, as well as enterprises outside New Zealand, are excluded from business demography statistics.

Up to the 2015 release, the business demography statistics series used the Longitudinal Business Frame as its data source. The Longitudinal Business Frame was constructed from all current and historic Business Frame data. The Statistical Business Register (SBR) that replaced the Business Frame allows for easy creation of longitudinal snapshots. From 2016 onwards, the business demography statistics uses the SBR as its data source.

At URL provided, select 'New Zealand business demography statistics: At February 2023' from the Download data section.

Business demography statistics provide an annual snapshot (at February) of the structure and characteristics of New Zealand businesses. The series covers economically significant enterprises that are engaged in producing goods and services in New Zealand.