First-time buyer demand for furniture and the ‘lipstick effect’ boost June sales Retail Demand for furniture and beauty goods caused retail sales to rise in June, boosted by good weather and slowly-recovering consumer confidence. Sales in the UK rose 3.1 per cent year on year in June, against a decline of 0.2 per cent in June 2024, according to data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC). “Retailers will [...]
‘Little luxuries’ and warm weather boost card spending Business The summer heatwave, along with the ‘sweet treat economy’ pushed card spending to return to growth in August, although it remained below consumer inflation. Card spending grew by one per cent in August, below the CPIH inflation rate of 3.1 per cent. Almost half of consumers said they continued to spend on small, luxury purchases [...]