Food and drink spending up on pre-lockdown levels, says Barclaycard

The card company said that an 11.6% overall rise in consumer card spending compared to July 2019 was driven by a 78.5% rise in “specialist food and drink stores” and a 16.6% rise in supermarkets.

Barclaycard has followed many others by comparing this year’s figures with those of 2019, on the grounds that the pandemic meant it was impossible to make meaningful comparisons with 2020.

Raheel Ahmed, Barclaycard’s head of consumer products, said: “July’s major sports fixtures and the heatwave kept the nation in good spirits, providing more reasons to celebrate together, and giving the entertainment industry its long-awaited boost back into growth.

“While some sectors took a small step back as the post-lockdown ‘honeymoon’ period cooled, July was a positive month overall.

“However, with inflation expected to rise, it will be interesting to see how this impacts consumer spending behaviour over the coming months.”