Spending on travel almost tripled from May last year when many international restrictions were in place and travel agents reported a 24% increase in May from April.
"Despite this, there are some encouraging signs, particularly in the travel industry as Brits' appetite for going abroad continues to grow as we approach the summer holidays." There are significant differences in the legislation and the reporting between the countries of the UK: England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales. "The cost-of-living squeeze is clearly influencing discretionary spending habits," Jose Carvalho, head of consumer products at Barclaycard, said. The following is a timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in England during 2021. Spending at restaurants and pubs and bars fell by about 6% and 1% respectively during the month.
In response, consumers cut back on spending on digital content and subscriptions by nearly 6%.Įchoing the BRC data, Barclaycard said spending on furniture fell by 3.1% in May from April. Spending on essential items rose by 4.8%, pushed up by a nearly 25% leap for petrol and diesel which have soared in price. The roadmap is aimed at giving clarity, time to plan as asked for. The figures are not adjusted for inflation - which hit 9.0% in April - which means the fall in volumes of goods purchased will have been much greater than the drop in money spent.ĭata from Barclaycard, covering a broader range of spending, showed spending in May was up 9.3% from a year earlier, reflecting the rising cost of living and a bounce for travel and hospitality which were affected by restrictions last year. Boris Johnson has unveiled a plan to end lockdown restrictions in England by 21st June. The BRC said its 'like-for-like' retail sales measure, covering only outlets open in May 2021, showed a 1.5% annual fall in spending after a 1.7% contraction in April.
Register now for FREE unlimited access to Registerįurniture, electronics and other expensive goods were hit hardest but fashion and beauty sales rose as people prepared for holidays and the summer, Dickinson said. The UK has vaccinated millions of people but Covid-19 cases are still circulating and new variants are causing concern.