Paymark Figures Show Wine Was A Winner This Easter

 
Media release
Thursday, 16 April 2009
 
Paymark Figures Show Wine Was A Winner This Easter
 
Visiting vineyards and wineries was a popular choice for Kiwis during Easter, with year on year spending up 43 percent in value at these venues over the Paymark network for the long weekend (from Good Friday until Easter Monday inclusive).

It was also the wine regions around the country that outperformed other regions –spending in Marlborough was up 10.9 percent in terms of value (dollars spent) and the Gisborne region up 6.4 percent. Bay of Plenty retailers also benefitted from a 6.6% increase compared with Easter weekend 2008.

In terms of overall spending, Paymark processed more than $334 million dollars via 7.5 million electronic transactions through its network during the four days. This was up just 1.5% compared with Easter 2008, continuing the relatively flat rate of spending observed over the past few quarters.

Dollars spent at petrol stations was down 12.3%, with lower fuel prices more than likely accounting for the decrease. Accommodation and travel sectors also continued their downward trend over the Easter break, with spending through the network 7.8% lower than in the same four days of the previous year. 

Simon Tong, Paymark Chief Executive Officer, says; ”Easter fell in April this year, as opposed to March in 2008. With the weather being just that little bit cooler, perhaps Kiwis decided to enjoy their extra days off in the vineyards which were better suited for the season than a day at the beach.”

Paymark, arguably the world’s most advanced EFTPOS network, processes more than three quarters of all in store electronic transactions in New Zealand. That puts New Zealand ahead of any other country in the world in terms of EFTPOS use.

ENDS

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