Britons buy clothes, fans and booze amid the World Cup heat

LONDON - A heatwave and the men's soccer World Cup drove up consumer spending in Britain in June, according to data published on Tuesday.

Barclays and the British Retail Consortium said the hot weather boosted sales of clothing, electrical fans and air-conditioning units while pubs reported strong trade on England's matchdays at the World Cup.

The reports showed:

• The BRC's measure of total retail sales rose by 1.9% in June compared with June 2025, in line with its 12-month average

• Non-food sales grew by 1.2%, double the 12-month average increase and helped by online shopping, BRC said

• Sarah Bradbury, chief executive of the Institute of Grocery Distribution, said hot weather and the World Cup could boost confidence in July again but political uncertainty and the impact of the Iran war on food prices posed risks further ahead

• Barclays' broader gauge of consumer spending also rose by 1.9% with growth in essential spending up by 2.2%, its biggest increase in 14 months

• Travel spending stabilised after big falls in April and May when the industry was hit by worries about the Iran war

• Barclays' measure of consumers' confidence in their finances stabilised

• The BRC survey covered the period of May 31-July 4 while the Barclays spending data was May 23-June 19.

(Writing by William Schomberg; editing by Suban Abdulla)

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect

This story was originally published July 13, 2026 at 7:19 PM.