Point-of-sale (POS) transactions in Saudi Arabia totalled SR12.6 billion ($3.35 billion) from October 11 to 17, down 6.8% from SR13.53 billion the previous week. 

According to the Saudi Central Bank's weekly POS report, the number of transactions reached 246.42 million, according to a Saudi Press Agency (SPA) report.

Food and beverages led spending at SR2.22 billion across 59.14 million transactions, followed by restaurants and cafes at SR1.65 billion (59.56 million), fuel stations at SR998.2 million (17.97 million), transport at SR921.9 million (6.93 million), clothing and accessories at SR910.9 million (8.71 million), and health at SR823.3 million (10.1 million).

Professional and business services

Professional and business services recorded SR733.4 million (15.04 million transactions), construction and building materials SR389.4 million (3.21 million), furniture and household supplies SR384.1 million (2.64 million), jewellery SR357.5 million (334,000), culture and entertainment SR301.1 million (4.12 million), bakeries and confectionery SR229.9 million (6.3 million), and hotels SR223 million (718,000).

Telecommunications accounted for SR193.5 million (5.4 million transactions), electronics and electrical appliances SR172.7 million (2.06 million), education SR83.5 million (168,000), utilities and public services SR61 million (958,000), and laundry services SR50.8 million (2.9 million). Other sectors totalled SR1.9 billion (40.16 million).

Riyadh topped the cities with SR4.41 billion across 81.6 million transactions, followed by Jeddah at SR1.67 billion (27.47 million), Dammam at SR639.9 million (9.86 million), Makkah at SR503.3 million (9.52 million), and Madinah at SR495.5 million (9.32 million).—TradeArabia News Service