Christmas shoppers in the Nelson Tasman region spent more than the previous year, though Richmond retailers say customers were spending their money carefully.
Figures from Worldline NZ, which has rebranded Paymark, show the growth rate in the core retail sector (excluding hospitality) during December for the Nelson Tasman region was 2.8 per cent higher than 2022 and resulted in $83 million in transactions.
On Boxing Day alone, the region’s transactions totalled $2.1 million which was 7.2 per cent higher than the previous year and was the third highest percentage increase in the country behind Otago and the Wairarapa.
In Richmond Mall, Acquisitions second-in-charge Michelle Hutton says December was a good month for the giftware store, with plenty of visitors in town shopping.
“We had a fantastic Christmas and I think the figures were on par with last year. It felt busier and people were buying, but they were watching what they were spending.”
Likewise, The Floral Bar owner Lisa Martin says the festive season was busy, which was also due to shifting the business to Queen St, but customers were buying cheaper gifts than the past which she attributes to the rising cost of living.
“People are looking for that cheaper gift, and rather than spending $150 they’re looking around the $50 to $60 mark which is quite hard to do these days (in floristry).”
Lisa says Valentines Day will tell the story better for her business, when people decide whether they can afford a dozen roses, half a dozen, or a mixed bunch.
Meanwhile, Worldline NZ’s chief sales officer Bruce Proffit says consumers countrywide made more transactions through retailers in its payments network in 2023 than the previous year, which is the usual pattern, but the average transaction value declined in spite of general consumer price inflation. The lower average transaction value was against a trend of generally rising consumer prices, suggesting consumers were being more selective and possibly buying cheaper alternatives.
He said pre and post-Christmas spending may have suffered from consumers shopping in Novembers’ Black Friday sales. Across the country, Black Friday in-store retail sales were generally lower in 2023 than the previous year and Nelson-Tasman was no exception, with spending 2.9 percent down at $2.3 million.
