Consumer spend rose 2.2 per cent in Feb but hampered by storms and Coronavirus

Data from Barclaycard, which sees nearly half of the nation’s credit and debit card transactions, reveals that spending on essential items rose by 1.6 per cent. This increase was bolstered by supermarket and fuel expenditure, which grew by 1.3 per and 2.5 per cent respectively.

Spending on non-essentials saw slightly stronger growth of 2.4 per cent, yet the retail sector was impacted by three in 10 Brits (29 per cent) spending less because of Storms Ciara and Dennis, with 53 per cent of these consumers delaying a shopping trip as a result. Fears surrounding coronavirus also led to 28 per cent of UK adults avoiding the high street and other busy places.

Department stores continued to face challenges, contracting by 3.6 per cent while clothing expenditure dipped 1.7 per cent. Restaurants also performed poorly, declining by 6.4 per cent, as did airlines and travel agents, which decreased by 0.7 and 0.3 per cent respectively.

Many Brits opted to stay at home with a box set and a takeaway, as digital content and subscriptions enjoyed growth of 12.4 per cent and takeaways & fast food rose 8.7 per cent.

Despite the stormy weather and concern around Coronavirus, consumer confidence in the UK economy remains high, with 42 per cent of UK adults feeling positive, up from 32 per cent 12 months ago.

This confidence is driven largely by Brits believing that progress is being made around Brexit, with one in five (21 per cent) putting their optimism down to greater certainty about life outside of the European Union.

However, in a sign of ongoing consumer cautiousness, 36 per cent of UK adults remain careful with their money and more than half (54 per cent) are worried about the rising prices of everyday items and how this will impact their ability to spend.

Esme Harwood, Director at Barclaycard, said: “Storms, floods and fears about the spread of Coronavirus have kept many Brits away from the high street this month. Despite this, broader consumer spending has held up as people put their money towards enjoying a takeaway and digital subscriptions.”