RIYADH: Consumer spending in Saudi Arabia accelerated last week, with point-of-sale transactions rising 3 percent to SR12.77 billion ($3.40 billion), driven by higher spending across most sectors, official data showed.
According to figures from the Saudi Central Bank, also known as SAMA, the number of transactions edged up 1.7 percent to 221.43 million in the week ending Sept. 27.
The sustained momentum highlights consumer confidence and the Kingdom’s ongoing digital payments transformation under Vision 2030 initiatives.
Spending on recreation — the fastest-growing subsector — surged 16 percent during the week to SR255.27 million, with 2.77 million transactions, boosted by anticipation of Riyadh Season, the Kingdom’s flagship entertainment festival set to begin later this month.
Telecommunication spending came second, rising 12 percent to SR155.73 million. Personal care rose by 10.3 percent to SR114.01 million, while the number of transactions increased by 7.2 percent to 2.37 million.
Expenditure on apparel and clothing rose 7.9 percent to SR951.08 million, with transaction volumes climbing 9.5 percent to 8.63 million.
On the downside, education posted the steepest drop, falling 34.3 percent to SR113.43 million. Freight transport, postal and courier services also declined, down 11.2 percent to SR28.23 million.
Food and beverages — the sector with the biggest share of total POS value — recorded a 2.3 percent increase to SR1.85 billion, while the restaurants and cafes sector saw a 9.7 percent increase, totaling SR1.59 billion and claiming the second-biggest share of this week’s POS.
Notably, spending in gas stations claimed the third biggest share at SR948.56 million despite a 0.7 percent decline.
The top three categories accounted for approximately 34.37 percent of the week’s total spending, amounting to SR4.39 billion.
Furniture and home supplies saw an 11.9 percent increase to SR682.05 million, expenditure on laundry services rose 2.5 percent to SR44.56 million.
Geographically, Riyadh dominated POS transactions, with expenses in the capital reaching SR4.55 billion, a 1.5 percent increase from the previous week.
Jeddah followed closely with a 1.9 percent rise to SR1.80 billion, while Dammam ranked third, up just 0.8 percent to SR640.83 million.
