Retail spending in Hastings and Havelock North is on the rise again according to the latest MarketView quarterly report.
For the three months ending June 30 the report, which is based on electronic card transactions with adjustments made for cash and hire purchase payments, showed that spending reached $65.8 million in Hastings and 29.8m in Napier.
This was a near 10 per cent increase for Hastings and a 5.5 per cent increase for Havelock North.
Hastings' biggest growth in spending went to hardware and homeware stores, up 38.4 per cent on the same quarter last year. In Havelock North the top growth went to accommodation, up 110 per cent on the same period last year.
Hastings District councillor and economic development and urban affairs committee chairman Damon Harvey said the most recent increases had continued the trend of the past 12 months.