Global Blue: Sustained performance in continental Europe for international shopping

 

According to Global Blue recent data, in Continental Europe1, the issued Sales in Store increased by +20% in December 2024 vs. last year, ahead of November growth (+16%). This growth was led by a +22% increase in the number of shoppers and was slightly impacted by a softening of -2% in the average spend per shopper.

When examining origin markets1, GCC shopper Tax Free Spend led the way at +41% vs. last year, followed by US shoppers at +34%, European Non-Eu shoppers at 26%, while Mainland Chinese shopper Tax Free Spend was flat (0%).

Regarding destination markets1, December showed a solid performance in Italy at +24%, Spain at +22%, and France at +19%, partly due to the softening of the Euro against all major currencies.

A Very Strong Tax Free Spend Performance in Asia Pacific

Global Blue data show that in Asia Pacific1, the issued Sales in Store growth reached +29%in December 2024, closely in line with November 2024 (+30%), led by a +29% increase in the number of shoppers and no change in the average spend per shopper (0%).

When examining origin markets1, the positive momentum in issued Sales in Store growth continued across most nationalities. Mainland Chinese shopper Tax Free Spend led with a +54% increase, driven by a +81% rise in the number of shoppers. Hong Kong and Taiwan shopper Tax Free Spend experienced a rise of +13% vs. last year while North East Asia shopper Tax Free Spend softened by -19% vs. last year.

Regarding destination markets1, December showed a strong performance across destinations, with South Korea at +64%, Japan at +32%, and Singapore at +6%.

1 Growth rate variation year-on-year (2024 vs. the same period in 2023)

Tags: Global Blue