Consumer spending rises 5.1% as World Cup fever takes hold

Consumer spending grew 5.1 per cent year-on-year in June, maintaining the high level seen in May
Non-essential expenditure reached 5.5 per cent growth – the best performance since October 2016
Entertainment saw its largest increase since last summer, with pub spending scoring a 33 per cent rise on the day of England’s debut match in the World Cup
Retailers may also see a boost in the coming months, as 42 per cent of Brits want to support their local high street in the wake of recent store closures

Consumer spending grew 5.1 per cent year-on-year in June, maintaining the high level seen in May as consumers continued to prioritise making the most of the summer’s experiences.

Data from Barclaycard, which sees nearly half of the nation’s credit and debit card transactions, shows that non-essential spending grew 5.5 per cent, its best performance since October 2016.

This was driven by a particularly strong month for entertainment which hit 11.3 per cent, the largest increase since July last year. As consumers demonstrated their continued willingness to spend on experiences, cinema and tickets soared to 20 per cent growth, while restaurants saw an increase of 9.7 per cent.

Boosted by the kick-off of the World Cup, pub expenditure grew 9.5 per cent overall in June – and spending increased 33 per cent on the day of the first England match compared to the same day a week prior. This contributed to entertainment spend rising 10 per cent week-on-week in the first seven days of the football.

Essential spending, meanwhile, settled to a 3.2 per cent increase. Higher prices at the pump led to a strong rise in petrol (9.3 per cent), which made up for supermarket growth dropping to the lowest level for 15 months (0.8 per cent) – albeit against a strong figure from June 2017 (6.0 per cent).

This year's unseasonably warm weather – which continued with heatwaves at the start and end of June – proved positive for garden centres, which saw a rise of 10.5 per cent last month. What’s more, of the one in three Brits (33 per cent) who have spent more than normal so far this summer, almost three in ten (28 per cent) say it’s because they were planning more activities to make the most of the hot weather.

Overall the sunshine seems to have prompted consumers to become more optimistic as 65 per cent now feel confident in their household finances – the highest proportion in twelve months.

In fact, shoppers are looking to harness this spending power and take positive action to strengthen their local communities. Following the recent news of store closures across the country, 42 per cent of Brits say they want to do something to support their high street. One in five (21 per cent) will try to visit more independent shops to back local businesses and a similar proportion (19 per cent) plan to buy items in-store rather than online.

Looking ahead, however, Brits remain somewhat cautious with four in ten (42 per cent) stating they will hold off on buying big-ticket items until the economy seems more settled.

Esme Harwood, Director at Barclaycard, said:

“Consumer spending maintained its strong growth in June for the second month in a row. As the warm weather continues and World Cup fever sets in, it’s clear many households are prioritising fun in the sun while making the most of the summer’s best experiences.

“While some lingering caution remains, confidence in household finances is at a 12-month high. This may be good news for retailers, especially as many shoppers are keen to use their spending power to help their local high street.”

	Y/Y Spend growth by category
	Overall	Online	In-store
Clothing	-0.4%	10.3%	-5.7%
Family Clothing	0.0%	13.6%	-6.1%
Shoe Shops	-4.5%	8.0%	-8.9%
Women’s Clothing	-2.8%	1.9%	-5.6%
Men’s Clothing	4.5%	8.1%	2.6%
Restaurants	9.7%	23.1%	8.6%
Auto Parts & Accessories	6.4%	24.5%	0.1%
Cinema, Theatre & Dance	20.0%	22.2%	14.3%
Public Houses	9.5%	1.5%	9.6%
Department Stores	-0.5%	9.4%	-3.2%
DIY Stores	3.4%	9.8%	2.6%
Travel Agents	14.2%	17.4%	10.4%
Airlines	15.1%	15.9%	10.0%
Supermarkets	0.8%	15.6%	-0.2%
Petrol	9.3%	93.7%	9.3%
Gambling	21.2%	30.3%	-7.5%
Vehicle Sales	1.2%	4.5%	1.1%
Hotels	6.0%	28.6%	0.1%
Auto Repair Shops	6.5%	12.7%	6.4%
Sports Shops	-1.8%	6.6%	-4.9%
Furniture Stores	5.2%	30.6%	0.1%
Telecoms	3.3%	9.1%	-1.2%
Household Appliances	-14.8%	-32.6%	-3.9%
Jewellers	3.5%	13.4%	1.9%
Sports and Games Establishment	2.1%	-0.1%	3.7%
Garden Centres	10.5%	12.7%	10.2%
Discount Stores	-2.0%	15.9%	-5.7%
Gift Shops	-1.1%	-7.7%	0.9%
Floor Covering Stores	-1.5%	9.5%	-2.7%
Tourist Attractions	6.1%	12.2%	2.0%
Amusment Parks	15.6%	20.0%	14.3%
Aquariums	9.8%	80.6%	-5.9%
Electronic Stores	-3.9%	-2.9%	-4.5%
Cosmetic Stores	6.8%	11.1%	2.5%
Optical Goods	3.9%	15.2%	3.1%
Overall	5.1%	13.1%	2.0%

Online share of spend
Clothing	36.6%
Travel Agents	57.1%

Average Transaction Value
Overall	-3.6%
Clothing	0.6%
Airlines	7.2%
Restaurants	-4.0%
Supermarkets	-3.3%
Petrol	3.2%

Number of Transactions
Overall	9.1%
Clothing	-1.0%
Airlines	7.1%
Restaurants	14.2%
Supermarkets	4.3%
Petrol	5.9%

Notes to Editors

For more information please contact Linda Yang on +44 (0)203 555 5586 or siyuanlinda.yang@barclaycard.co.uk

The monthly spend data in this release relates to the period 20 May to 23 June 2018. It is compared with 20 May to 23 June 2017.

The 33 per cent rise in pub spending mentioned in this release relates to Monday 18 June 2018 and compares it with Monday 11 June 2018. The 10 per cent rise in entertainment relates to Thursday 14 June-Wednesday 20 June 2018 and compares it with Thursday 7 June-Wednesday 13 June 2018.

The consumer confidence survey was carried out between 21 and 25 June 2018 by Longitude Research on behalf of Barclaycard. There were 2,000 respondents, providing a representative sample of UK consumers by age, gender, region, income group, professional status and family situation.

About Barclaycard

Barclaycard is a leading global payment business that helps consumers, retailers and businesses to make and take payments flexibly, and to access short-term credit and point-of-sale finance. In 2017 we processed over £250bn in transactions globally. Barclaycard is a pioneer of new forms of payment and is at the forefront of developing viable contactless and mobile payment schemes for today and cutting-edge forms of payment for the future. We also partner with a wide range of organisations across the globe to offer their customers or members payment options and credit.

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