In the first week of September, Saudi Arabia experienced a 4.9 percent decline in point-of-sale (POS) transactions, amounting to SR13.3 billion ($3.5 billion), according to figures from the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA). The education sector led the decline, dropping by 43.6 percent, with transactions totaling SR350 million, marking the third consecutive week of reduced spending in this category after a surge following the academic year's start on August 18.
Other sectors witnessing significant drops included public utilities, down by 25.1 percent to SR59 million, and culture and recreation, which fell by 12.2 percent to SR293.4 million. Meanwhile, miscellaneous goods and services saw the smallest dip at 0.7 percent, reaching SR1.57 billion.
Spending in the food and beverages sector represented the highest share of POS transactions at SR2.1 billion, followed by restaurants and cafes, and miscellaneous goods and services, collectively making up 41.98 percent of the total spending for the week. The sectors experiencing the smallest declines included electronic devices (down 0.8 percent) and restaurants and cafes (down 1.3 percent).
On the positive side, the jewelry sector saw the most significant increase in spending, rising by 7.8 percent to SR247.8 million. Furniture spending surged by 5.4 percent to SR309.3 million, while hotel expenditures increased by 3 percent to SR245.3 million.
Geographically, Riyadh accounted for the largest share of POS transactions at 34.1 percent, with SR4.55 billion spent, a decrease of 4.6 percent from the previous week. Jeddah followed with a 5 percent decline to SR1.82 billion, and Dammam saw a 4.2 percent drop to SR662.1 million. The sharpest decline in spending occurred in Tabuk, which fell by 9.9 percent to SR265 million.
In terms of transaction volume, Makkah saw the largest increase of 1.9 percent, while Tabuk recorded the most significant decrease at 2.7 percent.
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