Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) reported 223,571,000 point-of-sale (POS) transactions from July 6 to July 12, 2025. These transactions totaled SAR 13.13 billion, down from SAR 14.3 billion the previous week. The data reflects a moderate decline in value, although volume remained strong.

Saudi POS Transactions July 2025: Breakdown by Sector and Consumer Spending Trends

Restaurants and cafés led sectoral spending with SAR 1.92 billion, followed by food and beverages at SAR 1.85 billion. Other goods and services accounted for SAR 2.65 billion. Spending at fuel stations, healthcare providers, and clothing stores also showed strength.

POS activity by category:

  • Restaurants and Cafés: 61.1M transactions – SAR 1.92B
  • Food and Beverages: 50.6M – SAR 1.85B
  • Fuel Stations: 16.8M – SAR 949M
  • Clothing and Footwear: 6.7M – SAR 827M
  • Healthcare: 7.6M – SAR 805M
  • Other Goods and Services: 45.4M – SAR 2.65B

In addition, jewelry purchases totaled SAR 305 million, while entertainment spending reached SAR 260 million. These figures indicate stable demand for non-essentials despite the slight weekly dip.

City-Level Trends: Riyadh Remains the Retail Epicenter

Riyadh led 70.8 million transactions, generating SAR 4.47 billion—more than one-third of the total POS value. Jeddah followed with SAR 1.89 billion from 26.5 million transactions.

Top cities by POS value:

  • Riyadh: SAR 4.47B
  • Jeddah: SAR 1.89B
  • Dammam: SAR 626M
  • Makkah: SAR 531M
  • Madinah: SAR 515M

These figures confirm that spending remains concentrated in metropolitan hubs, where consumer activity drives the Kingdom’s retail economy.

Retail Softening May Reflect Seasonal Normalization

The week-on-week drop in POS value likely reflects a normalization in spending after recent holidays. Nevertheless, the continued strength in transaction volumes suggests underlying demand remains steady.

SAMA’s weekly data offers critical real-time insight into consumer behavior and retail sector performance. This supports macroeconomic monitoring in line with Vision 2030’s goals.

 

 

THE SAUDI STANDARD’S VIEW: POS Trends Confirm Retail Modernization at Scale

The more than 223 million POS transactions recorded in early July signal more than healthy consumer activity—they confirm Saudi Arabia’s rapid shift toward a cashless, digitally enabled retail economy.

  • Sectoral breadth: The data shows broad adoption of digital payment from daily essentials to discretionary spending. This reflects the success of initiatives to promote financial inclusion and retail modernization.
  • Urban leadership: Riyadh’s SAR 4.5 billion POS value confirms its role as the Kingdom’s commercial anchor, in step with national goals for diversified, urban-led growth.
  • Leisure momentum: Strong spending on jewelry, entertainment, and culture highlights the growing role of tourism and lifestyle sectors in the Saudi economy.
  • Stable demand: While POS value declined slightly, high transaction volumes indicate that spending remains resilient. This points to seasonal adjustment rather than weakness in consumer sentiment.

As the Saudi Central Bank continues to release high-frequency retail data, it strengthens the Kingdom’s data-driven approach to economic planning. The latest POS figures show that the Vision 2030 targets of digitization and diversified consumption are no longer future goals—they are present-day realities.

 

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