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<\/p>\nIt was a long time between drinks – and haircuts – for Aucklanders and they made the most of reopening last weekend.<\/p>\n
Customers to hairdressers, caf\u00e9s and bars tripled after the country moved into the new traffic light system last Friday, according to fresh data.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, while spending among other core retailers \u2013 including grocery and liquor stores \u2013 did not surpass the Black Friday sales rush of the previous weekend, overall pre-Christmas spending across the nation continued on a strong track, exceeding pre-Christmas spending in recent years, latest data from Worldline reveals.<\/p>\n
Spending among beauty and hairdressing merchants surged to a total of $7.2 million from Friday until Sunday, up 44 per cent on the same three days last week and up 34 per cent on the same time last year.<\/p>\n
Consumers spent $16.9m in caf\u00e9s and restaurants, up 86 per cent on the same three days last week, and $3.2m in clubs and bars, up 180 per cent. However, both sets of merchants were still trading around 30-40 per cent below the same period last year.<\/p>\n
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Overall pre-Christmas spending across the nation continued on a strong track, exceeding pre-Christmas spending in recent years.<\/p>\n
In Auckland and Northland consumers spent $311m in the seven days to Sunday or $44m per day, which was 11 per cent up on the same Monday to Sunday period compared last year,the survey revealed.<\/p>\n
While spending in the rest of the country was $490m or $70m per day, up 7 per cent compared to last year.<\/p>\n
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Both sets of figures are also higher than in the same seven days in 2019 before Covid-19 hit New Zealand.<\/p>\n
Combined, the national average spending through Worldline for core retailers, excluding hospitality merchants, was $114m per day last week.<\/p>\n
Worldline’s head of data, George Putnam said: “This spending pattern, in spite of Covid-19 constraints, appears to be following a similar pattern to previous years.”<\/p>\n
“Although spending did dip last week following Black Friday weekend, trends overall appear to be on track to match or more likely surpass pre-Christmas spending in recent years. However, there are some very wide regional and sectoral disparities,” Putnam said.<\/p>\n
Spending nationally over the last 21 days is now 8 per cent ahead of 2020 and 13 per cent ahead of 2019. This total includes spending at supermarkets and liquor stores, a significant part of preparations for Christmas.<\/p>\n
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The regional spending growth over the 21 days was highest since 2019 pre-Covid-19 levels with a 21 per cent increase in Wanganui, a 20 per cent increase in Taranaki, a 19 per cent increase in Palmerston North and Wairarapa.<\/p>\n
Growth since 2019 was lowest in Otago with only an increase of 1 per cent, Marlborough rose by 5 per cent.<\/p>\n
West Coast and Southland were both up by 7 per cent each.<\/p>\n