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British households increased their spending in April as unusually warm weather and the long Easter weekend helped consumers shrug off anxiety around the global economy, new data has suggested.
Consumer card spending grew by 4.5% in April compared with the same period last year, the biggest rise since June 2023, the high street bank Barclays found. Non-essential spending, such as on entertainment or takeaway food, rose by 5.1% last month, its highest rate in almost two years.
The warmest April on record, combined with a long Easter weekend, also meant more shoppers were out on the high street. Spending in physical shops increased by 6.9% after it dropped by 1.9% in March on a year-on-year basis.
Julien Lafargue, a strategist at Barclays, said economic sentiment was “surprisingly positive” even amid uncertainty around the impact of US tariffs on the economy.
“The recent decision by the Bank of England to further lower interest rates should add to this momentum. Similarly, the trade agreement reached between the US and the UK should provide some much needed visibility to businesses.” he said.
Last week the Bank agreed to cut interest rates by a quarter point to 4.25% and Keir Starmer announced he had reached a trade agreement with Donald Trump, the US president.
The Barclays data chimed with separate research by the British Retail Consortium (BRC), an industry body. It found retail sales rose by 4.3% across the March and April period. Food sales in April grew 8.2% against last year, while non-food sales grew by 6.1%.
Helen Dickinson, the BRC’s chief executive, said Easter falling in April this year had contributed to the sales boost and the sunny weather had led to a boost in consumer spending.
She said: “Food sales performed well as people brought together their family and friends for Easter celebrations, while sales of DIY, homeware and gardening goods shone bright as people made the most of the weather.”
Online furniture sales rose by 7% in April, with household appliances up 8%. Linda Ellett, of the consultancy KPMG, said that this was likely a result of a rise in new homeowners due to stamp duty changes last month.
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From 1 April, first-time buyers in England and Northern Ireland now pay tax on homes worth more than £300,000, down from £425,000, and the threshold for a reduced rate for first-time buyers will drop from £625,000 to £500,000.
The zero-tax stamp duty threshold that applies to all housing in England and Northern Ireland also dropped from £250,000 to £125,000.
A rush of first-time buyers trying to get ahead of the stamp duty changes meant March was one of the busiest months ever for big mortgage lenders, with Barclays reporting the number of mortgage completions increased by 50% in the UK.
