New Zealand’s retail card spending rose 171 million NZ dollars (108 million U.S. dollars), or 2.6 percent, in January 2023 compared with December 2022, the statistics department Stats NZ said on Friday.
Retail card spending, as well as total card spending, increased in January 2023 following a fall in December 2022. The rise in retail spending was led by a 5.1 percent increase in the durables category, which includes items such as furniture, hardware, and appliances, Stats NZ said.
“The increase in spending on durables came after decreases in November and December last year,” business performance manager Ricky Ho said.
The largest contributor to the rise in total card spending was the non-retail excluding services category.—Xinhua
