Released
on: April 28, 2009, 5:08 am
Author: Andrew
Bond
Industry: Financial
Barclaycard has revealed that spending on Mother's Day gifts was down in 2009 when compared to the year previous.
The data from Barclaycard Payment Acceptance, which enables retailers to accept payments from both debit and credit card, confirms that families across Britain are opting for less expensive gifts for Mother's Day in the current economic climate.
Spend on flowers was down 15 per cent in the two weeks leading up to Mother's Day this year compared to the same period last year while spending on chocolates was up 23 per cent compared to last year, suggesting that people are managing the expense of special occasions by purchasing more economic gifts rather than expensive floral presents.
Restaurants and jewellery shops were the least affected with spending almost identical to last year. Treating mum to lunch remains a popular gift, with spending in restaurants up slightly (0.3 per cent) compared to last year. Jewellers saw a very small increase in spending in the two weeks leading up to Mother's Day, with sales up 0.1 per cent compared to the same period in 2008.
Commenting on the data, Stewart Roberts, Business Development Director at Barclaycard said: "People don't want to let special occasions pass them by without buying a present of some sort but what we are seeing is that children are opting for a less expensive gift rather than the more extravagant floral arrangements in these tough times."
-Ends-
Notes
to editors
These figures are taken from Barclaycard Payment Acceptance data from March
2008 and March 2009. The figures relate to spending on certain products and
services usually associated with Mother's Day: The year-on-year comparison figures
relate to spending in the two weeks prior to Mother's Day 2009 and the corresponding
period in 2008. The restaurant comparison covers Mother's Day 2009 spending
compared with 2008.
About
Barclaycard:
Barclaycard, part of Barclays Global and Retail Commercial Banking division,
is a leading global payment business which helps consumers, retailers and businesses
to make and accept payments flexibly, and to access short-term credit when needed.
The company is one of the pioneers of new forms of payments and is at the forefront of developing viable contactless and mobile payment schemes for today and cutting edge forms of payment for the future. It also issues credit cards and charge cards to business banking customers and the UK Government. Barclaycard partners with a wide range of organisations across the globe to offer their customers or members payment options and credit.
In addition to the UK, Barclaycard operates in the United States, Europe, Africa and the Middle and Far East.
PR Contact:
Andrew Bond
Barclaycard Press Office
Barclaycard
1234 Pavilion Drive
Northampton
NN4 7SG
01604 251229
www.barclaycard.co.uk