Overview
- UK retail sales fell 3.0% year on year in April and Barclays reported a 0.1% drop in card spending, marking the first annual fall since November 2024.
- Travel was hit hardest, with Barclays card data showing a 5.7% annual decline in travel spending and an 8.3% drop on airlines, alongside weakness in hotels and big‑ticket goods like furniture.
- Barclays said households are building savings buffers after the Middle East shock, and its data showed essential outlays rose as fuel spending jumped 10.4% with higher oil prices.
- The British Retail Consortium noted that an earlier Easter shifted some purchases into March, and combining March and April shows retail sales up 1.5% from a year earlier.
- Retailers pressed for relief from energy levies and packaging taxes and looked to a possible World Cup lift, with early interest in TVs and a pub trade group saying sales could surge if England progress.