Saudi Arabia recorded a 20.4% increase in point-of-sale (POS) transactions in the last week of August, with the telecommunications sector driving this growth, according to a report from the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA). Total transactions reached $3.7 billion (Dh13.5 billion) during the week.
The telecommunications sector experienced the most significant rise, growing by 42% to $35 million (Dh128 million). Meanwhile, the education sector saw a decline of 38.6%, falling to $137 million (Dh503 million), marking its second consecutive drop after four weeks of growth. This decline coincided with the start of the academic year on August 18.
Spending on food and beverages saw the second-largest increase, rising 40.8% to $575 million (Dh2.1 billion), while clothing and footwear expenditures grew 31%, reaching $209 million (Dh767 million).
The smallest increase was observed in hotel spending, which rose by 6.1% to $63 million (Dh231 million). Spending on construction and building materials also increased by 9%, reaching $91 million (Dh334 million), and recreation and culture expenditures climbed 13.7% to $89 million (Dh326 million).
Regional Spending Trends
Riyadh led the regions in POS transactions, accounting for 34% of the total, with $1.2 billion (Dh4.4 billion), a 14.3% increase compared to the previous week. Jeddah followed closely with a 13.6% rise, and Dammam saw a 17.1% increase in spending.
Hail registered the most notable surge in spending, up by 37.9%. Tabouk and Buraidah also experienced significant growth, with spending rising by 37.3% and 22.9%, respectively.
In terms of transaction volume, Hail saw the highest increase at 24.9%, reaching 4,055 transactions, followed by Tabouk with a 21.4% rise, totaling 4,986 transactions.