LONDON: The tax refund company revealed that total sales declined -3% in 2014 but on a positive note, average spend per transaction rose by +3% year-on-year to £633. There was a slight decline in overall international spend in the UK last year according to the Global Blue’s UK Tax Free Index.
China remained the top spending nation in 2014: spend by Chinese shoppers grew by +6% year-on-year and accounted for 25% of total sales. The facilitated visa application process for Chinese visitors to the UK boosted spending on luxury powerhouse and British heritage brands.
Spending by Middle Eastern shoppers also remained strong: Qatari spend per transaction soared to £1,479 and sales to Qataris rose by +16% compared to 2013. Kuwait and Saudi Arabia also registered growth with year-on-year spend up by +7% and +8% respectively. However, spending by shoppers from the UAE declined by -7%.
