Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia’s point-of-sale transactions climbed 4 percent to SR13.6 billion ($3.6 billion) in the week ending March 15, driven by increased spending across multiple sectors. 

The latest data from the Kingdom’s central bank, also known as SAMA, showed jewelry led the growth, registering the largest jump in transaction value — up 31.1 percent to SR419.2 million. The sector also saw a 29.5 percent rise in the number of transactions, reaching 300,000. 

The clothing and footwear sector followed, recording a 22.8 percent increase in transaction value to SR1.5 billion, securing the third-largest POS share. Hotel spending ranked next, rising 19.1 percent to SR352.6 million, with transactions up 20.1 percent to 649,000. 

Transportation spending edged up 12.4 percent to SR889.2 million, while restaurants and cafes saw an 11.5 percent increase, totaling SR1.4 billion. 

The smallest spending gains were in gas stations, rising by 3 percent to SR865.8 million, and health services, which increased by 3.1 percent to SR837.2 million. 

Education saw the steepest decline, dropping 29.9 percent to SR140.6 million, following a 144.6 percent surge the previous week as students returned from winter break. 

Spending on electronics dipped 5.4 percent to SR150.5 million, while recreation and culture dropped 1.7 percent to SR261.9 million. 

Food and beverages — the sector with the biggest share of total POS value — recorded a 6.5 percent decline to SR1.9 billion. Miscellaneous goods and services claimed the second-largest share, with a slight 0.05 percent dip to SR1.66 billion. 

The top three categories — food and beverages, miscellaneous goods and services, and clothing and footwear — accounted for 37.4 percent of the week’s total spending, amounting to SR5.1 billion. 

Geographically, Riyadh dominated POS transactions, representing around 34.7 percent of the total, with expenses in the capital reaching SR4.7 billion — a 3.2 percent increase from the previous week. 

Jeddah followed with a 7 percent rise to SR1.9 billion, while Makkah ranked third, up 8.2 percent to SR818.4 million. Abha saw the smallest increase, inching up 2.2 percent to SR142.8 million.