Majority of Brits want to support UK businesses by buying more home-grown products with fruit and vegetables topping the list, closely followed by dairy, meat and seafood.
According to latest Barclays Consumer Spend report which combines hundreds of millions of customer transactions with consumer research to provide an in-depth view of UK spending, consumer card spending grew 4.5 per cent year-on-year in April – the greatest uplift seen since June 2023, and above the most recent CPIH inflation rate (3.4 per cent) for the first time in over two years.
The Easter weekend and the sunny weather boosted both retail and hospitality, while essential spend returned to growth after two months of decline, at 3.1 per cent.
The report further states that seven in 10 (68 per cent) UK shoppers say they want to support UK businesses by buying more home-grown products. One in eight (12 per cent) are willing to pay a premium for British or local products and brands, with this this group happy to pay 22 per cent more on average.
Fruit and vegetables topped the list (46 per cent) of the British-made products shoppers plan to buy more of or switch to, followed by dairy (39 per cent), meat (39 per cent), seafood (29 per cent), clothing and accessories (27 per cent) and alcoholic drinks (20 per cent).
More broadly, three in five (59 per cent) say they plan to buy more local and/or seasonal British food.
The weather, combined with this growing preference for local produce, likely contributed to the 11.4 per cent uplift in transactions at food and drink specialist stores, such as butchers, delis and fishmongers.
Meanwhile spending at supermarkets moved back into growth for the first time since January 2025, up 6.1 per cent.
The April sunshine and the long Easter weekend prompted shoppers to visit the high street in higher numbers. For the first time since tracking of these categories began in 2019, all retail and hospitality and leisure subcategories saw growth.
Overall retail was up 6.8 per cent, while in-store retail spending increased 6.9 per cent, after declining -1.9 per cent year-on-year in March.
As cost-conscious shoppers look to get more value from their weekly shop (66 per cent), a third (33 per cent) have noticed supermarkets lowering prices to match competitor offers and three in 10 have seen more promotional offers and discounts (30 per cent).
Enhanced loyalty schemes (23 per cent), product “knockoffs” or “dupes” (21 per cent) and an improvement in own-brand products (18 per cent) have also been spotted more frequently.
When asked about the money-saving tricks they had noticed more of in recent months, 32 per cent said budget supermarkets were becoming more popular, 29 per cent noted a rise in people buying second-hand over new items, and 20 per cent cited colleagues bringing home-made food to work instead of buying lunch.
Karen Johnson, Head of Retail at Barclays, said: “April’s sunny weather inspired consumers to embrace the best of Britain, with all retail, hospitality, and leisure subcategories in growth for the first time in over five years.
“While the long-term impact of any tariffs on household finances remains to be seen, given Thursday’s announcement of a UK/US trade deal, shoppers are demonstrating a commitment to supporting British business, while still carefully managing their money.”
