International shopper spend 'booms' in August

International shoppers from Thailand and Qatar 'significantly’ increased their spending per transaction in the UK in August compared to the same time last year.

The figures, from tax-free shopping expert Global Blue, found that shoppers visiting the UK from Thailand, an emerging market, spent an average of 1,131 pounds per transaction, up 43 percent compared to 789 pounds in the same month last year.

Shoppers from Qatar showed the second biggest growth year-on-year, with a 20 percent increase, spending on average 1,649 pounds per transaction this August in comparison to 1,377 pounds in August 2018. Shoppers from Qatar were the biggest spenders per transaction when visiting the UK in August.

Shoppers from China continue to dominate the market in tax-free shopping in the UK, accounting for 26 percent of the total sales in store between January and August 2019, and 31 percent of sales in store in August alone.

Photo credit: Pexels and ONS shopping frequency, source: Office of National Statistics