The purchase of food products in regional commercial establishments grew, at constant prices, 4.15% in September in comparison with the same period in 2017, according to information released from the Azores Regional Statistics Service (SREA).
 
Considering seasonally adjusted values, the growth is significant, i.e., it stands at 4.4% in the average of the last 12 months. It reflects the stability in the growth of the household consumption indicator.
 
According to information from SREA, electronic card purchases reached nearly 80 million Euros in September, registering a year-on-year increase of 6.4%. Approximately 70 million Euros correspond to transactions with cards issued by national banks, which represents an increase of 5%.
 
In September, the overall amount of withdrawals (50.2 million Euros) and card purchases (79.8 million Euros) recorded a year-on-year increase of 4%, reaching 130 million Euros.
 
Also, according to SREA, purchases made through automatic payment terminals amounted to 270 million Euros in the third quarter of this year, which covers summer months, growing 8% compared to the same period of last year.