Consumer Snippets – 24 July 2026

Consumer confidence rises in July

UK consumer confidence rebounded sharply in July, helped by political change, better weather and the World Cup. The GfK headline rose six points to -17, the largest monthly gain since November 2023. The improvement was led by views on the wider economy, with the sub-indices covering the general situation over the past year and the year ahead up 10 and 8 points respectively. The major purchase index rose 8 points, the first meaningful signal on big-ticket intent in some months.

Sentiment is playing out in the retail sales data. June retail sales volumes rose 1.0% MoM against consensus of a 0.3% decline, easing from 1.2% in May, while the YoY rate accelerated to 4.2% from 3.5%, well ahead of the 2.3% expected. Growth was led by non-store retail, with retailers citing promotions and demand for sports merchandise, clothing, outdoor goods, fans and air conditioning. Clothing store sales rose 1.9%, the largest monthly gain since September 2025, on discounting and warm weather.