Latest news with #SR10.2
Arab News
16-04-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Education drives weekly POS spending in Saudi Arabia to over $3bn
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia's point-of-sale transactions rose to SR12.3 billion ($3.2 billion) in the week ending April 12, driven by a sharp 2412.9 percent surge in spending on education. Following Eid Al-Fitr, POS transactions in this sector reached SR256.8 million, up from SR10.2 million in the previous week, according to the latest figures from the Saudi Central Bank, also known as SAMA. During that seven-day period, spending on transportation saw the second-largest increase at 115 percent to reach SR693.9 million, with the number of transactions surging by 26.9 percent to 2.7 million. Spending on construction and building materials followed with a 109.3 percent uptick to SR311.5 million. Spending on electronics reached SR154.9 million, as transaction volume in the sector rose by 23.2 percent. Health and furniture also saw notable increases, up 63.4 percent to SR778 million and 62 percent to SR228.5 million, respectively. Among the top three categories by overall value, food and beverages led with SR1.8 billion, marking a 10.3 percent week-on-week increase. Despite a 21.4 percent decline, restaurants and cafes came second at SR1.7 billion. Miscellaneous goods and services accounted for SR1.51 billion in POS spending, a 34.5 percent rise, making it the third-largest category. Combined, these three segments represented approximately SR5 billion, or 41.3 percent, of total POS activity during the week. Meanwhile, spending in recreation and culture declined by 5.5 percent to SR250.5 million, and hotel transactions dropped 21.9 percent to SR288.6 million. Geographically, Riyadh dominated POS transactions, representing around 34.9 percent of the total, with expenses in the capital reaching SR4.3 billion — a 34.5 percent increase from the previous week. Jeddah followed with a 17.9 percent increase to SR1.7 billion; Dammam came in third at SR635.3 million, up 32.8 percent. Makkah experienced the most significant decrease in spending, dropping by 5.8 percent to SR485.5 million. Madinah followed with a 4.3 percent reduction to SR494.3 million. Tabuk and Dammam saw the largest increases in terms of number of transactions, surging by 25.8 percent and 19.8 percent, respectively, to 4.5 million and 8.7 million transactions.
Arab News
09-04-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Clothing purchases leads $5bn pre-Eid spending in Saudi Arabia: SAMA data
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia's point-of-sale transactions rose to SR20 billion ($5.3 billion) in the week ending March 29, driven by SR3.1 billion in spending on clothing and footwear. Following Eid Al-Fitr, POS transactions dropped by 47.6 percent to SR10.5 billion in the week ending April 5, according to the latest figures from the Saudi Central Bank, also known as SAMA. During that seven-day period, spending in restaurants and cafes was the only sector to record a positive change, with the value of transactions rising by 2.6 percent to SR2.23 billion. This sector also saw a 12.4 percent surge in terms of the number of sales, reaching 56.1 million, which claimed the biggest share of the POS. The education sector recorded the largest dip in transaction value, with a 69.8 percent fall to SR10.2 million. Spending on furniture followed, dropping 68.5 percent to SR141 million, while transactions decreased by 63.1 percent to 876,000. Expenditure on transportation came in third place, falling by 66.8 percent to SR322.8 million. Spending on miscellaneous goods and services decreased by 58.9 percent, bringing the total value of transactions to SR1.12 billion, claiming the third-largest share of the POS. The value of transactions in the telecommunication and construction divisions dropped by 47.8 percent to SR86.6 million and 51.6 percent to SR148.8 million, respectively. Spending on electronics dropped by 47.9 percent to SR10.2 million, while expenditure on public utilities saw a 47.8 percent dip to SR32.5 million. Spending on food and beverages recorded a 36.2 percent decline to SR1.64 billion but still held the second-biggest share of the POS. Spending in the leading three categories accounted for approximately 47.5 percent or SR5 billion of the week's total value. Geographically, Riyadh dominated POS transactions, representing around 30.3 percent of the total, with expenses in the capital reaching SR3.19 billion — a 49.9 percent decrease from the previous week. Jeddah followed with a 49.7 percent increase to SR1.4 billion; Madinah came in third at SR516.5 million, down 44.7 percent. Makkah experienced the most significant decrease in spending, dropping by 57.7 percent to SR515.6 million. Tabuk followed with a 50.9 percent reduction to SR174.8 million. Makkah and Tabuk saw the largest falls in terms of number of transactions, dropping by 35.7 percent and 26.1 percent, respectively, to 8.1 million and 3.5 million transactions.
