Aucklanders have enthusiastically returned to cafés and bars since moving out of lockdown on 3 December, while momentum for pre-Christmas retailing continued to grow steadily amidst the national shift to the Traffic Light system.

Spending through Worldline’s payment network at café, restaurant, bar, and pub merchants in Auckland / Northland ($66.9m) jumped 41% in the first seven days of operating under the Traffic Light COVID protection system (Friday 3 December to Thursday 9 December) but declined 6% across the rest of the country (down to $105.8m) over the same period. In both cases spending was below 2019 and 2020 levels, and these patterns continued over the weekend.

Spending amongst these hospitality merchants over the latest seven days – for the week ending Sunday 12 December – was $71.4m through Worldline in Auckland / Northland, above lockdown levels but 18% below the same 7 days in 2020, and $110m in the rest of the country, less than before the traffic light system and 9% below year-ago levels.

Meanwhile, Kiwi shoppers have maintained the growth momentum of recent weeks following the surge of Black Friday sales, which now appears to be steadying, following the usual pre-Christmas pattern – suggesting there will be some very busy retail days later this week and the next.

Spending amongst core retail merchants, excluding hospitality merchants, was $312.3m in Auckland / Northland in the week ending Sunday 12 December, up 6% on last year and up 9% on 2019 levels, and was $500.2m in the rest of the country, up 4% and 8% respectively.

The national annual growth rates remain highest amongst the large group of merchants selling housing goods such as hardware, furniture, appliances and garden supplies ($144m, +11% on 2020).

Nationally, the average daily spending last week amongst the core retail excluding hospitality merchants was $116m per day. This was similar to the previous week and slightly below the average during the Black Friday sales.

“It would appear that New Zealand shoppers are adjusting quickly to the new normal of the Traffic Light system, putting the nation on track for the usual very busy few days ahead of Christmas,” says Worldline’s Head of Data, George Putnam.

“It has been typical in recent years for spending to steady a little after the Black Friday sales – not surprisingly – and then ramp up again from around Thursday this week, which continues towards a peak on either the Thursday or Friday before Christmas Day.”

“However, we will also be watching closely how the regional spread of spending evolves once Aucklanders are able to travel beyond the city borders again, starting this Wednesday,” says Putnam.

At this stage, fastest annual growth pre-Christmas, taken as the 28 days since 15 November, is in Wanganui (+12%), Taranaki (+11%), Palmerston North (+10%) and Waikato (+10%). Lowest pre-Christmas spending growth to date has been in Wellington (+2%), Otago (+3%), Marlborough (+3%) and Nelson (+3%).

All Cards NZ annual underlying* spending growth through Worldline over 28 days for regional core retail excluding hospitality merchants (* Underlying excludes large clients moving to or from Worldline)

Note:

These figures reflect general market trends and should not be taken as a proxy for Worldline‘s market share or company earnings. The figures primarily reflect transactions undertaken within stores but also include some ecommerce transactions. The figures exclude transactions through Worldline undertaken by merchants outside the Core Retail sector (as defined by Statistics NZ).

ABOUT WORLDLINE IN NEW ZEALAND

We are New Zealand's leading payments innovator. We design, build and deliver payment solutions that help Kiwi business succeed. Whether you’re looking for in store, online or mobile payment solutions or powerful business insights, Worldline is here to help with technology backed by experience. www.paymark.co.nz

About Worldline

Worldline [Euronext: WLN] is the European leader in the payments and transactional services industry and #4 player worldwide. With its global reach and its commitment to innovation, Worldline is the technology partner of choice for merchants, banks and third-party acquirers as well as public transport operators, government agencies and industrial companies in all sectors. Powered by over 20,000 employees in more than 50 countries, Worldline provides its clients with sustainable, trusted and secure solutions across the payment value chain, fostering their business growth wherever they are. Services offered by Worldline in the areas of Merchant Services; Terminals, Solutions & Services; Financial Services and Mobility & e-Transactional Services include domestic and cross-border commercial acquiring, both in-store and online, highly-secure payment transaction processing, a broad portfolio of payment terminals as well as e-ticketing and digital services in the industrial environment. In 2020 Worldline generated a proforma revenue of 4.8 billion euros. worldline.com

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