According to new data, consumer spending in the UK increased by 7.6 percent in May. Which compared to the same period in 2019 as shoppers headed back to physical stores following the further easing of lockdown restrictions.
Even record rain in May wasn’t enough to detach consumers from returning to stores. Along with overall spending on non-essential items up 5.8 percent compared to the same period in 2019, and face-to-face spending at non-essential retailers up 8 percent.
As per the latest data from Barclaycard, which sees nearly half of the nation’s credit and debit card transactions.
For socializing, shoppers looked to update their wardrobes in preparation for post-lockdown with clothing sales up 8.5 percent and department store sales up 8.6 percent.
In-store clothes shopping was still down on the same period in 2019 at -6.1 percent, which was significantly smaller than the 46.9 percent fall last month.
Brits were also spending more on beauty products and treatments, with pharmacy, health, and beauty stores seeing a 17.8 percent raise. With that, a significant improvement in the growth of 3.7 percent recorded last month.
At the same time, spending at sports and outdoor retailers also showed strong growth as consumers embraced more active lifestyles in May, with a 47 percent increase in the category versus 26.2 percent growth last month.
