Black Friday spending down in 2025 in blow to retail recovery

Kiwis spent 6.2% less on Black Friday this year compared with 2024. Photo / Michael Craig

Black Friday was officially the busiest shopping day of the year according to Worldline NZ’s payments network, but has come short of passing last year’s total – a blow for an industry in need of recovery.

Data released by Worldline NZ show spending through core retail merchants selling non-food goods reached $55.6 million on November 28, 2025, surpassing the previous high this year of $49.1m on Easter Sunday.

However, non-food goods spending on Black Friday alone was down 6.2% compared with last year, and was down 4.6% on last year over the three-day weekend.

Worldline NZ’s chief sales officer Bruce Proffit said that while Black Friday sales brought out many shoppers, the pattern across the weekend was consistent with spending on non-food goods, which ran below year-ago levels over other weeks of November.

“It appears that consumer budgets are still constrained at this end of the year. Clothing merchants experienced higher spending than Black Friday 2024 over the weekend but spending elsewhere was generally down,” Proffit said.

“Across the three groups we are tracking weekly, the pattern over the month continues to show more spending at food and liquor stores but less at hospitality providers and less amongst the general category of core retail merchants, excluding food and liquor and hospitality, collectively referred to as the ‘non-food goods’ retailers.”

Proffit said merchants will no doubt be hopeful for spending growth in the busier few weeks remaining before Christmas.

Across all core retail merchants, spending through Worldline reached $4.09 billion in November, up 1.1% on the prior corresponding period.

Annual growth of core retail spending was the highest in the West Coast, up 6.3%, Whanganui, up 5.4% and Otago, up 5%.

Meanwhile, core retail spending was lower in Auckland/Northland, down 0.3%, Wellington, down 1%, and Gisborne, down 1.8%.

Auckland contributed the bulk of the total spending with $1.53b, with Canterbury contributing the next highest amount at $502m.

Challenging November

First Retail managing director Chris Wilkinson said there were particular challenges through November this year, namely around weather affecting spending behaviours in categories that drive bigger transactions at this time of the year.

“November was lumpy however the final week did shine in most centres with spending, average transaction values and volumes refreshingly up (year on year, Bellwether data) so it does show both potential pent up demand and the vagaries of the market,” Wilkinson said.

“Consumers are still conditioned to be cautious and despite an improvement in interest rates, cost of living pressures remain top of mind for many.”

Wilkinson said one bright spot was a return to the market by homebuyers, which signals some confidence is returning.

He said that when people feel confident about their biggest asset, there is typically a flow on in terms of spending.

“Another driver is government spending on projects which is driving employment and investment across the country.”

Stats NZ will report its data on electronic card spending for the month of November on December 12.

Tom Raynel is a multimedia business journalist for the Herald, covering small business, retail and tourism.

• Stay ahead with the latest market moves, corporate updates, and economic insights by subscribing to our Business newsletter – your essential weekly round-up of all the business news you need.