Furniture and carpet stores saw spend growth of 2.4%, exceeding the overall trend and contributing to transaction growth of 0.8%
Confidence in household finances reportedly reached the highest level Barclays has seen since it started tracking this measure in 2015, at 75% (up from 70% in January). This is perhaps in part due to prudent money management, the company suggests, as 40% say they are finding ways to save money amidst increasing costs.
Confidence in consumers’ ability to spend more on non-essential items rose to 59% (from 56%), while discretionary spending remained in growth at 2.1%.