RIYADH — Consumer spending in the Kingdom reached more than SR8.7 billion during the past week of Aug. 8-14, according to the figures released by the Saudi Central Bank (SCB). The bank report contains the details and the total value of transactions carried out through points of sale. The last week witnessed spending of SR8.71 billion through 104.7 million transactions, and the value of operations decreased by about SR200 million compared to the previous week as consumers spent on foods and beverages about SR1.3 billion, followed by restaurants and cafes by about SR1.2 billion. Consumers spent more than SR1.1 billion on "other sectors"; SR828.7 million on various goods and services, SR677 million on the health sector, SR576.2 million on gas stations, SR539.6 million on clothing and shoes, and about SR501.7 million on the transport sector. They also spent more than SR335 million on construction and building materials, SR279.6 million on furniture, SR253.5 million on electronic and electrical devices, SR231.8 million on jewelry and SR230.1 million on the entertainment sector. Consumers in Riyadh spent about SR2.6 billion, followed by Jeddah with a value of about SR1.4 billion, Dammam SR438.5 million, Madinah SR322.2 million, Makkah SR288.1 million, and Al-Khobar more than SR277.6 million.
