Barclaycard Figures Show Increase in Easter Credit and Debit Card Spending
Barclaycard figures shows increase in credit and debit card spending over the Easter weekend.

NORTHAMPTON, ENGLAND, April 18, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The latest figures from Barclaycard Global Payment Acceptance, which enables 87,000 retailers to accept debit and credit card payments, shows spending was up 8.5% this year compared to last Easter. The figures, which cover businesses traditionally associated with the Easter Weekend and who use Barclaycard to process their credit and debit card transactions, shows shoppers spent GBP205.5m in 2010 compared to GBP189.4m over the same weekend in 2009.

Eating out was a popular choice with restaurants seeing a 13% increase in turnover on debit and credit cards compared to 2009. Other winners over the weekend included furniture and floor covering stores with spending up at 16.5% and 21.6% respectively. However DIY stores, a traditional beneficiary of the Easter weekend saw card spending staying flat with a slight increase of 1.5% on card spend compared to 2009.

Commenting on the data, Stuart Neal, UK Director of Barclaycard Global Payment Acceptance, said: "The increase in overall spending is testament to customers wanting to get away or treat themselves over the four day weekend - with a significant increase in restaurants and holiday related activity. Unfortunately, it looks like garden centres were a victim of the weather with debit and credit card spending down 16.8% compared to 2009."

Notes to editors:
Barclaycard customers comprise individual Barclaycard cardholders and businesses for whom Barclaycard processes debit and credit card transactions. Barclaycard's relationship with these two sets of customers means it can provide access to authoritative information about spending in the UK.

For further information visit http://www.newsroom.barclays.co.uk/Press-releases/Barclaycard-figures ... g-6c2.aspx

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