Inflation pressures: spending still down as car sales dry up

Inflation pressures: spending still down as car sales dry up
Increased food prices a major inflationary issue. (Image: BusinessDesk)
Brent Melville
Higher food and fuel prices and a wet July placed a damper on consumer spending last month despite relaxed pandemic trading rules and improvements in social spending such as movies and travel.Point of sale card transactions as measured by Worldline New Zealand saw total spending at $2.84 billion for the month at major retailers excluding hospitality, down 0.3% on July 2021. Spending fell 0.9% to $1.05b in Auckland/Northland, partially offset by a 1.3% improvement in consumer spending in Canterbury, which came in at $340 million.Worldline&r...

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