Paymark says more people are trying to shape up for summer with an increase of 18.6% in spending at fitness centres and gymnasiums in October compared with the same month last year.
The company, which processes 75% of all electronic transactions in New Zealand, says a 2.7% increase in all spending was recorded last month compared with the previous October.
The sharpest increase was in Canterbury where spending rose 6.5% on the same month in 2011.
While it's not expecting a spike in Christmas spending until mid-November, Paymark advises retailers not to expect a sales boom, as spending trends this year have been irregular.
