Saudi POS spending trends: 11.5% surge in utility payments and 8.2% rise in jewellery sales

Consumer spending in Saudi Arabia climbed to SR14.22 billion ($3.78 billion) in the first week of December, with utilities and jewellery leading the surge. According to the Saudi Central Bank, the period from December 1 to 7 saw a notable 11.5% increase in public utility spending, reflecting key Saudi POS spending trends alongside a 4.9% uptick in transaction volumes, which totalled 803,000.

Jewellery sales showcased the second-largest growth during the week, rising by 8.2% to SR288.13 million. The construction materials sector also witnessed positive momentum, with a 4.4% increase in spending, amounting to SR382 million.

Despite these gains, the overall point-of-sale (POS) spending slightly declined by 0.7% compared to the previous week, with food and beverage expenditures dropping 0.8% to SR2.20 billion. Restaurant and café spending followed a similar trend, decreasing by 1.4% to SR1.97 billion, though these categories still represented the largest and second-largest shares of POS value, respectively.

Certain sectors posted moderate gains, including electronics, which grew by 2.1% to SR221.30 million, and miscellaneous goods and services, up 3.5% to SR1.76 billion. On the other hand, telecommunications spending declined by 3.1% to SR138.84 million, while the health sector remained steady, increasing by just 0.6% to SR867.53 million. Furniture expenditures rose by 1.5% to SR348.52 million, reflecting subdued growth.

Geographically, Riyadh continued to dominate the POS landscape, accounting for 34.7% of total transactions with SR4.94 billion in spending. However, this marked a 1.1% decline compared to the previous week. Conversely, Jeddah recorded a 3.1% rise, reaching SR1.92 billion, while Dammam saw a marginal dip of 0.1% to SR719.3 million.

Among smaller cities, Tabuk experienced the steepest decline, with spending dropping 5.1% to SR281 million. Hail and Abha followed, reporting declines of 2.9% and 1.3%, respectively. In terms of transaction volume, Makkah and Jeddah led the gains. Makkah’s transactions increased by 3.8%, reaching 8.97 million, while Jeddah recorded a 2.3% rise, amounting to 26.31 million transactions.

In contrast, Hail and Tabuk faced the sharpest falls in transaction numbers, with Hail down 1.5% to 3.93 million and Tabuk decreasing by 1.1% to 4.82 million.

The data highlights evolving consumer priorities across the Kingdom, with robust growth in key sectors like utilities and jewellery offsetting dips in others. As Saudi Arabia continues its economic diversification journey under Vision 2030, spending patterns offer insights into shifting domestic demand and sectoral performance.