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UK Consumer Spending Report
View our latest insights on how spending patterns are changing across the UK.
Barclays UK Consumer Spend Report gives you a unique and up to date picture of the nation’s spending habits based on the actual transactions, bringing it to life so you can take action and shape your strategy.
Our latest report looks at UK consumer spending patterns for the 19th October 2024 to 15th November 2024.
November key insights
While overall spend dipped slightly, consumers kicked off the festive season by spending quality time out with friends and family, with strong performances at pubs and cinemas in November.
Head of Client Insights, Barclays
Essential card spending decreased -3.1% in November 2024 when compared to this time last year, the largest year-on-year fall since 2019, when tracking began. Spending in Grocery, an Essential spend category, declined (-1.4%) as consumers looked for ways to cut back in the run-up to Christmas.
Non-Essential card spending increased by 0.8% in November 2024 when compared to this time last year, lower than the growth in October 2024 (2.1%). However, consumer confidence remains strong, as consumers kicked off the festive season by spending at hospitality and leisure venues.
Fuel spend growth was -15.2% in November 2024 when compared to this time last year. This comes as we are providing a comparison with a period when fuel prices were at record highs this time last year, due the invasion of Ukraine, combined with global fuel supply issues.
Retail spending falls as the cold weather hampers the high-street, while consumers kick off the festive season at hospitality and leisure venues
Overall Retail spending fell -2.0% in November 2024 when compared to this time last year. This is the lowest year-on-year growth since June 2024 (-2.6%), as November’s cold snap deterred shoppers from visiting the high-street. As a result, in-store spending (excluding groceries) declined -2.3%, lower compared to October 2024 (-0.4%). There was also a fall in Supermarket spending, as consumers tightened their belts for the run up to Christmas.
However, spend in the overall Hospitality & Leisure sector increased by 4.7% in November 2024, a slight uplift compared to October 2024 (4.5%). This comes as consumers kicked off the Christmas party season at Bars, Pubs & Clubs, which had its strongest month since the summer. Spend in the Entertainment sector also remained strong, thanks to the bookings for blockbuster hits such as ‘Gladiator II’ and ‘Paddington in Peru’, whilst the cold and darker evenings also boosted spend on Digital Subscriptions & Content as consumers sheltered indoors.
Hospitality and Leisure
Consumers kick off the festive season at hospitality and leisure venues
Consumers kicked off the festive season at hospitality and leisure venues in November 2024, with spend at Bars, Pubs & Clubs increasing by 3.5%, the largest uplift since the sunnier pub garden season in July 2024 (4.9%). The shorter days and cooler weather also meant that cosy venues were in demand, with spend at Restaurants, Cafes & Bakeries Restaurants returning to growth (2.1%).
It was another strong month for the Entertainment sector with spend rising by 10.8% in November 2024, a third consecutive month of double-digit growth. Blockbuster hits such as ‘Gladiator II’ and ‘Paddington in Peru’ drove cinema spending up 22.8% compared to the rest of the month, with the 9th November being the busiest day of the month for cinemas.
The small screen also proved popular in the month, with spend on Digital Content & Subscriptions rising by 8.3%. The live stream of Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson’s boxing match and popular TV series such as ‘Dune Prophecy’ encouraged consumers to shelter indoors and enjoy a night in on the sofa.
Consumers kicked off the festive season by socialising with friends and family in November, as Bars, Pubs & Clubs had their strongest month since the summer. Consumers also enjoyed blockbuster hits, with cinemas having one of the strongest months of the year in November.
Head of Hospitality and Leisure, Barclays Corporate Banking
Consumers continue to make travel plans for 2025
Spend in the overall Travel sector continues to remain strong, at 6.0% in November 2024. The growth this month was predominantly driven by spend at Airlines, which grew 10.6% compared to this time last year.
Hotels, Resorts & Accommodation also had a strong month with spend rising by 5.5%, an uplift compared to October 2024 (3.2%) and the category’s highest growth since October 2023 (7.4%), indicating that consumers are planning their jet-setting schedules for 2025 to escape the winter blues.
Retail
November’s cold snap hampers the high-street
After enjoying three months of consecutive growth, overall Retail spending fell -2.0% in November 2024 in the run up to the seasonal sales period. This comes as November’s cold snap hampered high-street footfall, with spend at General Retailers falling by -1.7%, a decline compared to October 2024 (5.2%), whilst Clothing sales also contracted -5.6% in November 2024, the largest fall since June 2024 (-7.7%).
In addition, almost half of the consumers (48%) surveyed in the latest Barclays Consumer Confidence Survey, say that they are cutting back on discretionary spending, with 49% of this group reducing spending on new clothes and accessories. **
However, with Black Friday on the horizon, retail’s slowdown could be a result of shoppers holding out for discounts at the end of the month, with a fifth of consumers (19%) planning to take advantage of the seasonal discounts during this period. **
Retail’s performance was dampened in November as the cold weather hampered high street footfall. However, retailers are likely anticipating the usual Black Friday boost, with consumers hoping to use the sales period to get discounted gifts for loved ones ahead of Christmas.
Head of Retail and Wholesale, Barclays Corporate Banking
Consumers look to control costs ahead of Christmas
As we head into the festive period, consumers are trying to keep Christmas costs under control, with 34% keeping an eye out for festive offers, whilst 26% are buying presents in advance to spread costs. This comes as 28% of consumers expect this Christmas to be more expensive than last year.**
Nonetheless, 36% of consumers say that because Christmas brings them joy, they are prioritising spending on the festive period this year, even though they are otherwise trying to stick to a budget. Of these festive spenders, 33% plan to splurge on meals out with friends and family, while 26% will splash out on an at-home Christmas celebration.**
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We can help you keep up-to-date with spending trends, monitor your market position and enhance your understanding of customer behaviour, based on actual customer spending.
Leveraging anonymised data from our 250 million monthly customer transactions in the UK can help you understand who your customers are and how, when, and where they spend.
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Appendix
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Spend growth Transaction growth Essential -3.1% -0.6% Non Essential 0.8% 1.8% Overall -0.5% 0.9% Retail -2.0% -0.3% Clothing -5.6% -2.9% Grocery -1.4% 0.2% Supermarkets -1.8% -0.7% Food & Drink Specialist 1.8% 4.8% Household -3.9% 1.2% Home Improvements & DIY -5.6% -8.2% Electronics -3.0% 10.3% Furniture Stores -3.6% -0.8% Garden Centres 4.2% 2.6% General Retailers -1.7% -1.1% General Retailers & Catalogues -1.4% -2.4% Department Stores -2.2% 3.1% Discount Stores -2.3% 0.1% Specialist Retailers 0.6% -1.2% Pharmacy, Health & Beauty 7.6% 1.5% Sports & Outdoor -11.5% -11.2% Other Specialist Retailers 0.2% -1.7% Hospitality & Leisure 4.7% 3.2% Digital Content & Subscription 8.3% 6.7% Eating & Drinking 1.3% 0.7% Restaurants, Cafes and Bakeries 2.1% 0.9% Bars, Pubs & Clubs 3.5% 2.8% Takeaways and Fast Food -1.1% -0.8% Entertainment 10.8% 13.2% Hotels, Resorts & Accomodation 5.5% 4.1% Travel 6.0% 3.8% Travel Agents 7.3% 15.6% Airlines 10.6% 4.8% Public Transport -0.3% 0.2% Other Travel 5.1% 11.2% Other -3.0% -0.7% Fuel -15.2% -6.8% Motoring -3.9% 7.2% Other Services 4.5% 2.2% Insperience 2.2% 2.5% Online 0.7% 1.7% F2F -1.5% 0.5% -
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Data source
Barclays debit card and Barclaycard credit card transactions in the UK.Data range
The spending data in this report relates to the period 19th October 2024 to 15th November 2024.
Inclusion criteria:
Customers aged at least 16 in the relevant period. Active customers using card payments in the relevant period (excluding spending on banking products, i.e. mortgages, loans, savings, utilities, tax and gambling).Spending growth calculation:
Percentage difference between total spend per customer in the period 19th October 2024 to 15th November 2024 and total spend per customer in the period 21st October 2023 to 17th November 2023.
Spending categorisation:
- Essential: Childcare, healthcare, insurance, grocery, fuel and public transport spend.
- Other food and drink: cafes, bakeries and any other food and drink establishments that cannot be classified.
- Entertainment: gym memberships and leisure activities such as cinema, family days out, sports and theatre.
- General retailers: selling a wide range of different products, e.g. department stores, catalogue shops, online marketplaces.
- Specialist retailers: selling a particular category of goods, e.g. toy shops, jewellers, sports shops.
- Other services: education, legal, insurance, childcare, post office / delivery, charities and personal services, e.g. hairdressers.
- Insperience: Digital Content & Subscriptions, Takeaways & Fast Food, Hobbies, Crafts & Collections and Online Food & Drink Specialist retailers.**
Note: Starting October 2024, Barclays will report the growth of consumer spending on ‘Restaurants, Cafes and Bakeries’, which is a combination of two former categories: ‘Restaurants’ and ‘Other Food and Drink’. Distinctions between established restaurant chains (previously reported as ‘Restaurants’) and other forms of eateries (e.g. independent restaurants, food stalls, caterers and cafes – previously reported as ‘Other Food and Drink’) have become increasingly blurred, and Barclays believes that the combined ‘Restaurants, Cafes and Bakeries’ category is a better representation of consumer spending on dining out more broadly.
*CPIH: Consumer Prices Index^ including owner occupiers' housing costs,
** Denotes a comment from the consumer confidence survey. The consumer confidence survey in this press release was carried out between 15th and 19th November 2024 by Opinium Research on behalf of Barclays. There were 2,000 respondents, providing a representative sample of UK consumers by age, gender, region, and income group.
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