New data from Barclaycard Payments revealed that the August Bank Holiday Weekend was the busiest spending period since Christmas 2019.
Key data below:
· Barclaycard Payments processed more transactions on both Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th August than on any date since Christmas Eve 2019
· From Saturday 28th to Monday 30th August, across all sectors, transaction volumes were up 14.4 per cent compared to the same long weekend in 2020, and up 9.4 per cent compared to 2019*
· In the Leisure and Entertainment sector, transaction volumes were up 37.2 per cent compared to last year, and up 26.8 per cent vs. 2019
· There was also significant growth in the Food & Drink sector, with volumes up 20.3 per cent year-on-year, and 14.5 per cent year-on-two-years
· Barclaycard Payments is the #1 payments processor in the UK, processing £1 in every £3 spent on credit and debit cards, with 350k small business and 19k corporate customers
Rob Cameron, CEO of Barclaycard Payments, said: “We haven’t seen transaction volumes like these since Christmas 2019, the last major shopping milestone before the pandemic. This is hopefully a sign of more positive times to come, and a testament to the strength and resilience of British businesses when it comes to adapting and thriving in a post-lockdown world. The sectors where we’ve witnessed particularly strong growth – Leisure and Entertainment, and Food and Drink – demonstrate that consumers certainly haven’t lost their appetite for a celebration!”
* data compares the volume of transactions processed by Barclaycard Payments across the long August Bank Holiday weekends in 2019 (24/08/19 – 26/08/19), 2020 (29/08/20 – 31/08/20), and 2021 (28/08/21 – 30/08/21)
