World Cup and sunshine prompt UK consumers to splash out on beer and online shopping | Consumer spending

Brutal sunshine and the World Cup persuaded consumers to spend more on beer and online shopping last month; The bags are expected to remain loose as England fans prepare for Wednesday’s semi-final.

Most people remain pessimistic about the UK economy, according to data from Barclays Bank based on debit and credit card transactions.

But the start of football in the summer helped consumers put their worries aside and enjoy beer, paddling pools and hand-held electric fans; Almost half of the latter is expected to end up in landfill.

Spending increased 1.9% year-on-year in June; This rate is still below consumer inflation of 3% but is up significantly from the more subdued 0.8% recorded in May.

Pubs saw the biggest increase as football fans took advantage of extended opening hours, according to Barclays’ consumer spending report. England’s group stage victory over Panama marked the busiest day of 2026 so far, with a home run five times higher than the year’s daily average.

On an annual basis, England’s draw with Ghana provided the biggest increase; card users in bars spent 244% more than on the same day in 2025; this was probably due to the relative lack of movement which gave fans time to get to the bar.

The last 16 win against Mexico recorded a 201.5% increase measured on Sunday and Monday, reflecting the early start of the match.

The data does not reflect England’s quarter-final win over Norway, but figures released by card payments company Dojo show a 23% increase in earnings compared to the previous Saturday. The action on the pitch created the greatest thirst in Southampton, where full-time sales nearly doubled on the previous week. In Newcastle upon Tyne, pub sales were just 11% higher than on a normal Saturday.

Predictions made before the match suggested England’s progress to the quarter-finals could be worth £385 million to the economy, or £500 million if all four matches in that tour were taken into account.

On Monday, around 48 hours before the start of the semi-final against Argentina, the British Beer and Pub Association predicted that an extra 6 million pints of beer would be spilled in the match; This is a larger increase than on New Year’s Eve. The Night Industry Association, which also includes other types of venues such as pubs and nightclubs, predicts an increase of up to £80 million for the sector.

Data shows that the sweltering weather that Britain is feeling the effects of the climate crisis is having a similar impact on football.

Barclays said the record-breaking heatwave had prompted consumers to overhaul their wardrobes, leading to a 2.4% increase in clothing sales, while department stores, many of which were air-conditioned, fared particularly well, with a 9.7% increase.

But a separate report said the heat had led most consumers to shop online rather than brave the conditions on the high street.

According to figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and KPMG, non-food sales in stores decreased by 1.1% compared to last June.

However, online non-food sales increased by 5.1% in the same period, well above the 12-month average growth rate of 1.5%.

The online penetration rate (the proportion of non-food items purchased online) increased to 39% from 37.7% in June last year.

The BRC has issued a warning about the pressure on high street shops as online retailers take advantage.

“The lure of sunshine has meant gaming and big ticket sales have struggled, while electric fans and paddling pools have performed well as people look to cool off,” said BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson.

“The heatwave not only changes the way customers shop; it also makes retail operations more challenging, from keeping shelves stocked to keeping products and people cool. These pressures are on top of rising business rates, higher employment taxes and ongoing global uncertainty, all of which constrain retailers’ ability to invest, create jobs and keep prices low.”