With two weeks to go until Christmas shoppers are starting spend up large with the latest figures showing spending in the Bay of Plenty up 2.6 per cent this year.

The latest figures released from Paymark show $257.6milion has been spent in the region in November, compared to the $251.1million in the same period last year.

The number of transactions in the Bay of Plenty has increased by 3.2 per cent, with 5.08million transactions recorded this year.

Last year, 4.93million transactions were recorded.

The increase in the region's spending is in line with a national trend with November experiencing 4.6 per cent annual growth compared to November 2011, and a one per cent increase in October, according to Paymark, which processes about 75 per cent of all electronic transactions in New Zealand.

After adjusting for seasonal effects, card spending in the core retail industries increased 1.0 per cent.

There were increases in all four core retail industries, which excludes the motor vehicle related industries.

Spending on durables, including furniture, hardware, and appliance retailing, was up 1.6 per cent ($17 million).

Hospitality, including accommodation, bars, cafes, and restaurants, was up 2.6 per cent ($16 million).

Total retail, which includes the motor vehicle-related industries, increased 0.5 per cent in November 2012.

Fuel was the only retail industry to fall this month, down 0.8 per cent ($6 million).

Total electronic card spending increased 0.7 per cent in November 2012.

The trends for the total and total retail series have both generally been increasing since these series began in October 2002, but have weakened since mid-2012.

The core retail trend has also generally been increasing, but has been flat since June 2012.

Head of sales and marketing Paul Whiston says the increase in pre-Christmas spending has followed the patterns of recent years.

'We have seen the usual lift in spending from mid-November and the last seven days of the month were up 10.4 per cent as compared to the last seven days of October.

'Looking at the past five years, this increase is in line with the average November spending trends, however despite the increase we are aware that for many retailers it is still tough going.”
Based on historic figures, Paul expects the real rush is yet to come.

'Between 2007 and 2011 spending jumped an average of 27 per cent, from November to December as Kiwis ramped up their card usage in anticipation of Christmas.

'It's great to see Kiwi's getting into the Christmas spirit and spending across a diverse range of sectors. We hope to see retailers reaping the benefits in the coming weeks.”