Shoppers continue to spend more in the Taupo District

The latest Marketview report shows retail spending in the Taupo District is up 5.5 per cent on the same time last year, with the number of transactions also up 5.5 per cent.

The report, which is commissioned every quarter by Taupo District Council, gives an insight into retail spending in the Taupo District for the three months to June 2016 and looks at who is spending, where they're spending and how retail spend compares to the rest of New Zealand.

Local shoppers are helping boost sales, spending 5.4 per cent more than they did in the same quarter last year, with 51.8 per cent of all transactions totalling over $67 million made by Taupo cardholders. Taupo residents did 61 per cent of their spending within the Taupo District, 21.8 per cent around New Zealand and 10.2 per cent online.

Rotorua cardholders are also making the most of the proximity of the Taupo District's shopping options, spending 15.1 per cent more with the district's retailers this quarter with a total of $3.86 million in purchases. Aucklanders increased their spending by 10.6 per cent to $13.88 million and spend by international visitors continued to grow, with overseas cardholders spending almost 5 per cent more in the district compared to this quarter last year.

Hardware and homeware stores showed the biggest growth across all retailers, with spend in these stores growing 26 per cent on the same time last year. Around the district, Turangi had a slightly slower quarter with spend down by 4.1 per cent. However, Mangakino saw a strong spending increase of almost 19 per cent and the Taupo Industrial Area saw a 44.5 per cent increase in spending.

The report also showed that most shoppers complete their purchases between midday and 4pm and Saturdays continue to be the district's busiest shopping day.

Chief executive Gareth Green said the report gave a good indication of how shoppers are supporting local retailers.

"It's fantastic to see Taupo residents shopping locally and supporting our local businesses. Campaigns run by Towncentre Taupo, such as Shop in Taupo which runs until November, are helping encourage people to shop instore instead of online. The spending growth is also testament to business owners who are working hard to ensure they provide great customer service to keep both residents and visitors returning to the district.

"It's also pleasing to see the positive trends continue around international visitor spend and growth in spending in Mangakino," Mr Green said.

Each quarterly Marketview reports look at electronic card retail transactions over a three month period and compares data to the amount spent in the same period last year. The latest Marketview report is available online at www.taupo.govt.nz/marketview-report.