UK consumer card spending rose +4.5% in April, according to the latest data from Barclays, as sunny weather and a late Easter weekend helped drive sales, with Health & Beauty among the top performing categories.

Despite ongoing economic uncertainty, Barclays Consumer Spend report showed that retail, hospitality and leisure spending all grew last month – the first time since 2019 that spending across all categories put on growth. Consumer research in its report also showed UK shopper confidence in their household finances remained “resilient”, tracking at 70% – the same level as in March (also 70%).

The Barclays spending data follows a similarly sunny outlook for footfall on the High Street, with the BRC-Sensormatic Monitor reporting shopper counts in store rose +7.2% year-on-year in April, which it also attributed to warm weather and the late Easter.

A healthy boost to spending

Non-essential card spending in April rose +5.1% compared to last year, a +2.9 percentage point increase on March, representing the highest growth since 2023.

“April’s sunny weather inspired consumers to embrace the best of Britain, with all retail, hospitality, and leisure subcategories in growth for the first time in over five years,” Karen Johnson, Head of Retail at Barclays, said.

Health & Beauty was one of the strongest performing categories, with card spend up +15.1% compared to 2024. This followed research in the report which also showed that now one in five (22%) female consumers are opting for at-home beauty treatments, rather than going to into a salon, in a bid to make beauty spend go further.

Trump Tariffs remain a concern for household finances

However 72% of consumers are concerned about the impact tariffs could have on their finances, with 27% saying they now planned to save more money every month so they had a buffer to fall back on should prices rise in the future.

“While the world continues to grapple with unprecedented levels of trade uncertainty, UK economic sentiment has been surprisingly positive recently, supported by a resilient consumer,” Julien Lafargue, Chief Market Strategis at Barclays Private Bank and Wealth Management, added.