Consumer card spending in furniture stores fell during June when compared to last year, while transaction value showed a slight increase, says new data from Barclays.
According to the latest Barclays Consumer Spending Index, which includes both debit and credit cards, furniture store spending growth decreased -1.2%, while transaction growth was up 0.1% against the same month last year.
Home improvement and DIY stores saw spending growth increase 0.8%, with transaction growth up 0.7%. Department stores saw spending growth increase 9.7%, with transaction growth up by 7.6%, while garden centres saw spending growth rise 3.7%, with transaction growth down by -0.4%.
Overall, consumer card spending grew by 1.9 per cent year-on-year in June, a marked improvement on May’s 0.8 per cent growth, but below the latest CPIH inflation rate of 3.0 per cent. Non-essential spending increased 1.7 per cent, while growth in essential spending reached a 14-month high, up 2.2 per cent.
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 pubs, clothing and general retail.
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.”
