British shoppers kept a tight rein on spending in November as sales on credit and debit cards fell by -1.1% year-on-year (YOY), the biggest drop since February 2021, according to data from Barclays.

The bank said retailers still had their busiest day of the year so far on Black Friday, with transaction volumes up +62.5% on the daily average day for 2025.

Separate data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and KPMG indicated that anxiety over the Budget among shoppers meant the month of Black Friday did not deliver the levels of sales which had been anticipated.

November total sales increased by +1.4% YOY driven by a +3% uplift in food and a +0.1% increase in non-food. Within the non-food category, in-store sales declined by -0.3% YOY, while online sales were up +0.5%. The Black Friday skew towards online was reflected in non-food online penetration, hitting a high of 44%. 

“Pre-Budget jitters among shoppers meant the month of Black Friday did not deliver as strongly as retailers had hoped or the economy needed,” said Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive of the BRC. “Sales growth was the weakest in six months, despite the elevated inflation. Not unexpectedly, online dominated, with the proportion of non-food bought online reaching its highest level since 2022.”

The BRC said shoppers took advantage of promotions, with homeware and upholstery selling well ahead of the festive hosting period. However, fashion lagged as a mild first half of November dampened demand for winterwear.

“Rising household costs and nervousness about the economy continue to impact discretionary buying,” said Linda Ellett, UK Head of Consumer, Retail and Leisure at KPMG. “But retailers will be hoping that Budget clarity has now provided more certainty for consumers about their ability to spend in the months ahead.”