Consumer confidence stabilises and spending grows 1.9 percent in June, as pubs enjoy a World Cup boost

• Non-essential spending grew 1.7 percent while growth in essential spend reached its highest point since April 2025
• Pubs enjoyed their busiest day of the year when England faced Panama in the World Cup, with transactions at five times’ the 2026 daily average
• Retail spend growth hit an 11-month high, with clothing, electronics and department stores all up, after temperatures reached record highs
• The Barclays Consumer Spend report combines hundreds of millions of customer transactions with consumer research to provide an in-depth view of UK spending

Consumer card spending grew by 1.9 percent year-on-year in June, a marked improvement on May’s 0.8 percent growth, but below the latest CPIH inflation rate of 3 percent. Non-essential spending increased 1.7 percent, while growth in essential spending reached a 14-month high, up 2.2 percent. 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.

Consumers’ confidence in household finances (64 percent), non-essential spending (51 percent) and ability to live within their means (70 percent) were all broadly on par with May, while confidence in job security grew three percentage points to 46 percent. Similarly, confidence in the global (26 percent), UK (24 percent) and European economy (29 percent) all remained within one percentage point of May’s results.

Consumers appear to be separating their own finances from the wider economic picture: 39 percent agree their personal financial situation is more stable than the UK’s overall, while 44 percent say they feel financially resilient despite concerns about the UK economy.

World Cup kick-off gives pubs a lift

Three in five (59 percent) UK adults report tuning into the World Cup this year, however 47 percent say they’re watching more matches at home than they normally would, due to late kick-off times.

Despite this, Barclays merchant-side data shows pubs have enjoyed substantial boosts on England match days, helped by extended opening hours. Pub transactions hit a 2026-peak on Saturday 27^th June, when England faced Panama, at five times’ the year’s daily average (up 389.9 percent), representing a 161.7 percent year-on-year uplift.

Looking at combined figures for Sunday 5^th July and Monday 6^th July, when the England-Mexico kick-off was delayed until 2am BST due to the weather, payments tripled, up 201.5 percent year-on-year. Similarly, England’s draw against Ghana resulted in an unusually busy Tuesday (23^rd June) for the sector with payments processed up 244.3 percent year-on-year.

Record June heat helps the high street

After June temperatures reached record highs of 37 degrees in some parts of the UK, retail spending reached an 11-month peak, up 1.9 percent. Clothing spend grew 2.4 percent, as consumers refreshed their summer wardrobes and took advantage of seasonal sales.

General retailers (up 4.7 percent) and department stores (up 9.7 percent) also saw strong growth. In response to the heatwave, 38 percent of consumers said they purchased cold food and drink items, while 30 percent invested in fans or cooling devices, with spending on electronics up 2.7 percent.

After falling -5.7 percent and -5.8 percent respectively in April and May, travel spending showed signs of recovery in June, down just -0.1 percent. Airline spend declined -5.4 percent, but travel agents returned to growth (1.9 percent), after three consecutive months of decline. Meanwhile, hotels, resorts & accommodation climbed 1.7 percent, which comes as 26 percent of consumers say they’re going on a UK staycation in 2026, up from 19 percent in April.

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, said: “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.”

Image courtesy of Unsplash. Photo credit: Ben Black.