The report was conducted by the NSW Business Chamber, titled the March 2015 Business Conditions Survey.

Murray-Riverina NSW Business Chamber regional manager Ben Foley was pleased there was an air of positivity, but said many stores were still struggling. 

“Our members in the Murray and Riverina regions of NSW reported significant improvements in the last quarter of 2014,” he said.

“However, our most recent survey shows that businesses experienced challenging operating conditions in the first three months of 2015.

“Twenty-four per cent of Murray-Riverina business reported increases in total sales revenue this quarter, down from 37 per cent in December 2014.

“Fewer businesses experienced profit increases in the March quarter, with just 21 per cent of businesses reporting increases, compared to 32 per cent in December 2014. 

“Over half of the Murray-Riverina businesses surveyed said they experienced higher operating costs in the first three months of the year.

“(This was) a slight improvement on December 2014 where close to 60 per cent of businesses reported increases in operating costs.

“Only 13 per cent of businesses reported increases in total staffing numbers, a slight improvement from December 2014.

“However one in four businesses expected overall staffing levels to increase in the June quarter.

“While sales and profits might be down when compared to the last quarter of 2014, don’t forget that Christmas splurging makes it difficult for some businesses to achieve similar results the following quarter, so this is not overly surprising.

“The positive with these results are that over 80 per cent of the respondents expect the next quarter to be as good as or better than the first quarter.

“The general business sentiment at a grass roots level is a very optimistic one.”