Back-to-school purchases and scorching hot weather have combined to continue the region's steady retail growth, with consumer spending up for the first month of the year.
Latest figures from Paymark, which processes about 75 per cent of all New Zealand's electronic transactions, show consumers here spent at least $148.1 million in January, marking a 4.4 per cent rise from the sale time last year.
Paymark also noticed a 4.8 per cent rise in the number of transactions, after it processed 3.3m credit and debit card transactions across its Hawke's Bay network.
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Hastings City Business Association general manager Susan McDade said a combination of factors had helped boost growth.