UK data – May BRC, like-for-like sales +0.4% year-on-year (previously -4.4%)

British Retail Consortium (BRC) data for May 2024:

• like-for-like sales +0.4% year-on-year (-4.4% previously)
• total sales +0.7% over one year (previously -4%)

Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the BRC, blamed the weather:

• Despite a good holiday weekend for retailers, minimal improvement in weather conditions through most of May resulted in only a modest rebound in retail sales last month.

Data also from Barclaycard:

its customers’ debit and credit card spending was only +1.0% year-on-year, the lowest increase since February 2021

• previously +1.6% annual growth in the previous month and the lowest increase since February 2021.