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UK Consumer Spending Report

UK Consumer Spending Report

View our latest insights on how spending patterns are changing across the UK.

Barclays UK Consumer Spend Report gives you a unique and up to date picture of the nation’s spending habits based on the actual transactions, bringing it to life so you can take action and shape your strategy.

Our latest report looks at UK consumer spending patterns for the 28th March 2025 to 25th April 2025.

10 years of spend

What can the last decade of consumer spending tell us about the next one?

To mark the 10th anniversary of the Barclays Consumer Spend Report, we're hosting a webcast which will explore the key macroeconomic and microeconomic trends at play, including the rise of Gen Z/Gen Alpha, lockdown’s legacies, and consumers’ evolving definition of value.

April key insights

Overall consumer spending bounced back strongly in April, with the warm weather and Easter weekend boosting all the sub-sectors in retail and hospitality. Consumers also embraced the best of Britain, from supporting local butchers and delis, to visiting the countryside with friends and family.

Rohan Kumar

Head of Client Insights, Barclays

Consumer card spending increased by 4.5% in April 2025, the greatest uplift since June 2023, and higher than the latest CPIH* inflation rate (3.4%).
Essential spending

Essential card spending increased by 3.1% in April 2025 when compared to this time last year, returning to growth after two months of decline. This comes as spending in Grocery, an Essential category, had its highest month of year-on-year growth (6.6%) since September 2023 (7.0%).

Non-Essential spending

Non-Essential card spending increased by 5.1% in April 2025 when compared to this time last year, an uplift compared to March 2025 (2.2%). This is also the highest growth seen since July 2023 (5.6%) with the warm April weather boosting spend across several categories.

The warm weather and Easter weekend boost all Retail and Hospitality & Leisure subcategories

Overall Retail spending increased 6.8% in April 2025 when compared to this time last year, the highest increase since May 2021 (13.6%). This comes as the April sunshine and the long Easter weekend prompted consumers to visit the high street, with every retail subcategory tracked monthly by the Barclays Consumer Spend report seeing growth, for the first time since tracking of these categories began in 2019. The standout performers in the month were Garden Centres (25.0%), as consumers got their gardens ready for the summer season, alongside Pharmacy, Health & Beauty retailers, with spend growth reaching a 37-month high of 15.1% in April 2025.

Spend in the overall Hospitality & Leisure sector also increased in April 2025, rising 6.7%, the highest increase since December 2023 (8.9%). This comes as consumers made the most of the warm weather and socialised with friends and family at beer gardens, with spend at Bars, Pubs & Clubs reaching a 16-month high. Staycations also proved popular with consumers as Hotels, Resorts & Accommodation had their best month since October 2023, while consumers said that they want to support the local economy by holidaying within the UK.

Hospitality and Leisure

The higher temperatures spurred on socialising, boosting overall hospitality spend

Spend on overall Eating & Drinking increased by 6.6% in April 2025, the highest year-on-year uplift since July 2023 (9.2%). Spend at Bars, Pubs & Clubs reached a 16-month high, rising by 6.6% in the month, as the higher temperatures encouraged consumers to socialise with friends and family at beer gardens. Restaurants, Cafes & Bakeries also returned to growth with spending rising by 8.1%.

Meanwhile, the Entertainment sector had another strong month, with spend rising by 13.2%, the highest increase since October 2024 (13.5%), suggesting that consumers enjoyed the recent cinema releases such as ‘Sinners’ and ‘Minecraft’. The Easter weekend, combined with the sunny weather, seemingly encouraged family days out.

Spend in the overall Travel sector also remained strong, at 6.1% in April 2025, an uplift compared to March 2025 (5.7%). The growth this month was predominantly driven by spend at Travel Agents which grew 7.0%, in line with March 2025 (7.1%).

Man standing at dispensers

Consumers enjoyed the sunny weather in April and socialised with friends and family at beer gardens, with spend at Bars, Pubs & Clubs reaching a 16-month high. Staycations also proved to be popular with consumers choosing to support local economy and explore the British countryside.

Rich Robinson

Head of Hospitality and Leisure, Barclays Corporate Banking

Consumers embrace staycations in April

Hotels, Resorts & Accommodation had a particularly strong month in April 2025, with spend increasing by 6.1%, the highest growth since October 2023 (7.4%). This comes as 29% of consumers said that they wanted to explore the British countryside and suggested that staycations are more convenient and are a source of less hassle than international travel. **

Moreover, two in five consumers said that they want to support the local economy by holidaying within the UK and think that staycations are a great way to spend time with friends and family, whilst 18% of consumers believe a staycation now offers better value than holidays abroad. **

Spend on Hotels, Resorts & Accommodation increased by 6.1% in April 2025, the highest growth since October 2023.

Retail

The early arrival of warm weather bolsters the high-street

Overall Retail spending increased by 6.8% in April 2025, as the April sunshine and the long Easter weekend encouraged consumers to visit the high street. This corresponds with a resurgence of in-store shopping, with face-to-face retail spending (excluding groceries) increasing by 7.0% in the month, the highest uplift since January 2023 (9.4%).

For the first time since monthly tracking of these sectors began in 2019, every Retail subcategory saw growth. Garden Centres benefitted hugely, with spend rising by 25.0%, the category’s highest growth on record, as consumers prepped their gardens for the summer season

Meanwhile, spend at Home Improvements & DIY retailers increased by 4.0%, likely boosted by the recent changes to stamp duty thresholds, as buyers rushed to complete their purchase to secure tax savings ahead of the deadline. Clothing retailers had their best month since September 2024 (4.5%), with spend rising by 3.6% as consumers refreshed their wardrobes with summer wear.

A lady holding a paper bag

April’s sunny weather bolstered the high-street, with all Retail subcategories seeing growth in the month. From refreshing their wardrobes to preparing their gardens for the summer season, consumers made the most of the warm weather and the Easter weekend.

Karen Johnson

Head of Retail and Wholesale, Barclays Corporate Banking

Consumers prioritise ‘home-grown’ and locally-made products

Research conducted in late April, in the wake of the news about tariffs, showed 68% of UK shoppers want to support UK businesses by buying more UK-made products, with 12% of all consumers willing to pay a premium for British or local products. When asked about what British-made products shoppers plan to buy more of or switch to, fruit and vegetables topped the list (46%), followed by dairy (39%), meat (39%) and seafood (29%). **

This growing preference for local produce, combined with the weather, likely contributed to the 11.4% uplift in spend at Food & Drink Specialist stores in April 2025, the highest increase since July 2021 (13.3%).

Spend on Hotels, Resorts & Accommodation increased by 6.1% in April 2025, the highest growth since October 2023.

Barclays Market and Customer Insights

Barclays Market and Customer Insights unlocks a wealth of customer transaction data and brings it to life so you can take action and shape your strategy.

We can help you keep up-to-date with spending trends, monitor your market position and enhance your understanding of customer behaviour, based on actual customer spending.

Leveraging anonymised data from our 250 million monthly customer transactions in the UK can help you understand who your customers are and how, when, and where they spend.

Contact the Barclays Market and Customer Insights team

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