Consumer card spending in furniture stores rose during October 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 increased 5.3%, while transaction growth was up 0.7% against the same month last year.

Home improvement and DIY stores saw spending growth decline 0.5%, with transaction growth down 4.7%. Department stores saw spending growth decrease 7.8%, with transaction growth down by 5.4%.

Discount stores saw a decrease of 7.6% in spend growth, while transaction growth was down 8.3%, and garden centres experienced an increase of 7.6% in spend growth and an uptick of 2.2% in transaction growth.

Overall, consumer card spending fell -0.8 per cent year-on-year in October, a slight drop from September (-0.7 per cent), and considerably lower than the latest CPIH inflation rate of 4.1 per cent. Essential spend declined (-2.5 per cent) for the sixth consecutive month, while growth in discretionary spending was flat (0.1 per cent), as a combination of pre-budget anticipation, upcoming Black Friday deals and milder weather led consumers to delay purchases or cut back across a number of categories.

In October, all seven measures of consumer and economic confidence tracked by Barclays declined for the first time since August 2022, when the Bank of England announced its biggest base rate increase in 27 years.

Karen Johnson, Head of Retail at Barclays, said: “Looking ahead to the Autumn Budget, consumers are taking a considered approach to spending. While confidence declined in October, we’re seeing resilience within categories linked to health and wellbeing, suggesting people are still willing to invest in the areas that matter most to them.

“With Black Friday and Christmas on the horizon, we expect spending patterns to shift again as shoppers seek out value and seasonal offers.”