Clothing spend grew in June as consumers took advantage of sales and warm weather

UK consumer card spending grew by 1.9% year-on-year in June, a marked improvement on May’s 0.8% growth, but below the latest CPIH inflation rate of 3%, according to the latest data from the Barclays Consumer Spend report.

Covering the four weeks from 23 May–19 June 2026, versus 24 May–20 June 2025, non-essential spending increased by 1.7%, while growth in essential spending reached a 14-month high, up 2.2%.

The uplift was driven by a combination of stabilising consumer confidence, warm and sunny weather, and the arrival of the World Cup, which boosted several categories, including clothing, pubs and general retail.

Clothing spend grew by 2.4%, with transaction growth of 3.5%, as consumers refreshed their summer wardrobes and took advantage of seasonal sales, while the pharmacy, health and beauty category saw spend rise by 2.9%, but a transaction decrease of 2.2%.

Department stores saw impressive sales growth of 9.7%, with transaction growth of 7.6%, while garden centres saw sales growth of 3.7% as people made the most of the weather.

Rohan Kumar, Head of Spend Insights at Barclays, said: “Card spending saw further uplift in June, with both essential and non-essential categories recording stronger growth.

“Record temperatures, stabilising consumer confidence and the start of the World Cup helped drive a broad-based increase in activity, boosting spending across everyday essentials, summer purchases and social occasions.”

Jack Meaning, Chief UK Economist at Barclays, added: “While additional spending around the World Cup will be a welcome cushion for the hospitality sector, it remains true that the economy has slowed into the middle of the year.

“Looking ahead to the second half of 2026, we expect growth to pick up modestly, as improving consumer sentiment and reduced uncertainty are partially offset by the temporary inflation bump.”

Across its issuing and acquiring businesses, Barclays sees nearly 40% of the nation’s credit and debit card transactions, providing unique insight into UK consumer spending.