Lions create spending boost in Canterbury
Tuesday 13 June, 2017
Spending through Paymark amongst hospitality merchants – the bars, cafes and accommodation providers – increased by
around $0.6 million last Saturday and Sunday, relative to the previous 2-day week of 27-28th May.
This represents an increase of 11.8%. The Lions game is likely to be the key contributor to this spending boost. The
extra payments largely took the form of more spending at restaurants, cafes, pubs, bars and clubs from around 11am on
Saturday through to the early hours of Sunday morning. The only hour when payments were not higher during this period
was between 9 and 10 pm Saturday. Spending on Saturday through these food and liquor service providers increased 17.2%.
On Sunday, the bias shifted to accommodation providers where spending on the day was also up 17.2%, primarily before
11am.
This pattern of more spending at bars and cafes before and after the game was also evident in Auckland last Wednesday,
albeit relatively less pronounced in the larger Auckland/Northland region. A similar effect is expected around
forthcoming Lions games.
The overall increase in spending in Canterbury between the two weekends was $0.4 million or 1.3%. Spending in amongst
other retail merchants did decline in Canterbury between the two weekends but the decline was broadly consistent with
the seasonal pattern elsewhere. Change in total nationwide spending through Paymark between the two weekends was -1.8%,
being $5.3 million.
ENDS