Consumer card spending in furniture stores declined during June when compared to last year, says new data from Barclays.

According to the latest Barclays Consumer Spending Index, which includes both debit and credit cards, furniture store spending growth declined 0.3% – down for an eighteenth consecutive month, while transaction growth was positive, up 9.1% against the same month last year.

Home improvement and DIY stores saw spending growth fall 9.4%, with transaction growth down 7.2%. Department stores saw spending growth decrease 4%, with transaction growth down by 1.2%. Discount stores saw a decline of 11.7% in spend growth, while transaction growth was down 12.4%.

Overall, consumer card spending fell -0.6% year-on-year in June – the first decline since February 2021 and significantly lower than the latest CPIH inflation rate of 2.8% – as colder weather early in the month hampered spending at clothing stores, pubs and garden centres.

Karen Johnson, Head of Retail at Barclays, said: “Once again, our data demonstrates the undeniable impact that unseasonable weather can have on consumer spending. The sluggish demand at the start of June even caused some fashion brands to adjust their sales schedules, although I was pleased to see that the situation has since improved with the arrival of sunnier days.

“However, the dreariness didn’t dampen spending across the board, with takeaways, digital content and entertainment all benefitting from people sheltering at home, and hopefully we’ll see sustained interest in The Euros – regardless of England’s fate – and sunnier weather driving people to their local in July.”