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Relentless sunshine and the World Cup coaxed consumers to spend more on beer and online shopping last month, with purse strings expected to remain loose as England fans gear up for Wednesday’s semi-final.
Most people remain pessimistic about the UK economy, according to data from Barclays Bank based on debit and credit card transactions.
However, the start of the summer’s football helped consumers put their worries to one side and indulge in pints of beer, paddling pools and handheld electric fans, with almost half of the latter expected to end up in landfill.
Spending increased by ۱.۹% year on year in June, still below the ۳% rate of consumer inflation but a marked pickup from the more lacklustre ۰.۸% recorded in May.
Pubs have experienced the biggest boost, thanks in part to football fans taking advantage of extended opening hours, Barclays’ consumer spending report found. England’s group stage victory over Panama emerged as the busiest day of ۲۰۲۶ so far, with takings five times higher than the daily average for the year.
On a year-on-year basis, England’s draw with Ghana resulted in the biggest uplift, as card users in pubs spent ۲۴۴% more than they did on the same day in ۲۰۲۵, possibly because of a relative lack of action that gave fans time to go to the bar.
The round of ۱۶ victory over Mexico registered a ۲۰۱.۵% increase, measured over Sunday and Monday to reflect the game kicking off in the small hours.
The data does not capture England’s quarter-final win over Norway but figures released by Dojo, a card payments company, showed a ۲۳% increase in takings compared with the previous Saturday. The on-pitch action inspired the greatest thirst in Southampton, where full-day sales almost doubled compared with the week before. In Newcastle upon Tyne, pub sales were only ۱۱% higher than a normal Saturday.
Before the game, estimates suggested England’s progress to the quarter-final could be worth £۳۸۵m to the economy and £۵۰۰m when factoring in all four games in that round.
On Monday, with about ۴۸ hours until the semi-final against Argentina kicks off, the British Beer and Pub Association predicted the game would lead to an extra ۶m pints poured, a bigger increase than on New Year’s Eve. The Night Time Industries Association, which also includes other types of venue such as bars and nightclubs, has forecast an increase of up to £۸۰m for the sector.
The sweltering weather, as Britain feels the effects of the climate crisis, has had a similar impact to the football, the data shows.
The record-breaking heatwave prompted consumers to overhaul their wardrobes, resulting in a ۲.۴% increase in clothing sales, Barclays said, while department stores – many of which are air-conditioned – fared particularly well, up ۹.۷%.
However, a separate report indicated that the heat drove most consumers to buy online rather than braving the elements on the high street.
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Non-food sales in shops declined by ۱.۱% compared with last June, according to figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and KPMG.
However, online non-food sales jumped by ۵.۱% over the same period, well above the ۱۲-month average growth rate of ۱.۵%.
The online penetration rate – the proportion of non-food items bought online – climbed to ۳۹% from ۳۷.۷% in June last year.
While online retailers benefited, the BRC issued a warning about the pressure on high street shops.
“Electric fans and paddling pools performed well, as people looked to cool off, while the lure of the sunshine meant that gaming and big-ticket sales struggled,” said Helen Dickinson, the BRC chief executive.
“A heatwave doesn’t just change how customers shop – it makes retail operations more challenging, from keeping shelves stocked to keeping products and people cool. These pressures come on top of rising business rates, higher employment taxes and ongoing global uncertainty, all of which are squeezing retailers’ ability to invest, create jobs and keep prices down.”
