A clearer picture is forming around UK trading conditions in May: retail performance and wider consumer spending both improved, even if the recovery still looks fragile. Fresh data released on Tuesday from the British Retail Consortium and Barclays points to stronger month-on-month momentum, helped by warm weather and a partial rebound in discretionary categories.
The BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor showed total UK retail sales rising 3.7% year on year in the four weeks from 3 May to 30 May. That compares with growth of 1% in May 2025 and sits above the 12-month average of 2%, suggesting UK retail sales May delivered a meaningful uplift versus recent trends.
Food remained supportive, with sales up 3.9% year on year. Non-food also improved, increasing 3.5%—a notable turnaround from a 1.1% decline a year earlier and stronger than the 12-month average non-food growth of 0.7%.
The split between physical and digital channels, however, was mixed. In-store non-food sales slipped 0.4%, a modest improvement on last year’s 0.9% decline but still negative. Online performance was the standout: non-food e-commerce sales jumped 10.6%, reversing a 1.5% fall in May 2025 and underscoring how spending strength is concentrating online.
BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson said a May heatwave played a visible role in steering shoppers toward seasonal purchases, with clothing and footwear returning to growth “as shoppers snapped up summer essentials like sandals and sunglasses”. KPMG’s UK head of Consumer, Retail & Leisure Linda Ellett also pointed to a turning point in apparel. “Clothing and footwear sales grew — some for the first time since the January sales.”
Barclays’ Consumer Spend report, which reflects almost 40% of card transactions in the UK, echoed the improvement—though it also highlighted the gap between spending and inflation. Barclays said overall card spending increased 0.8% year on year in May, improving from April’s 0.1% decline, but still running below the CPIH inflation rate of 3.4%. Non-essential spending returned to growth, rising 0.9% after contracting 0.3% in the previous month.
Within the retail categories tracked by Barclays, health and beauty posted a 5% increase in spending even as transaction volumes fell 1.5%, suggesting higher ticket sizes or mix changes. Department stores also showed renewed life, with spending up 11.9% and transaction volumes rising 8.9%. Clothing, by contrast, looked weaker in the Barclays data than in the BRC monitor: clothing store spend increased just 0.8%, while transaction volumes dropped 2.5%.
Consumer sentiment remains the major restraint. Barclays’ accompanying survey found that 65% of respondents are making changes to their finances in response to uncertainty, and nearly half of that group said they are limiting non-essential purchases. Among those cutting discretionary outlay, 35% said they were trying to offset rising essential costs, while 34% prioritised building a savings buffer.
Taken together, the reports suggest UK retail sales May benefited from improved conditions—particularly online and weather-sensitive categories—but the underlying consumer mood remains cautious, leaving the trajectory of any sustained recovery far from guaranteed.
