New data from Barclays has revealed that home improvement and DIY spending in the UK grew for the first time since June 2023, offering a boost to the KBB sector.
According to the bank's Consumer Spending Report, the category saw a 0.9% increase in March 2025. This marks a significant shift after nearly two years of decline. Alongside this, spending at garden centres surged by over 13%, the strongest monthly growth since January and the fastest-rising category in the report.
Barclays found that 23% of UK adults intended to carry out gardening work over the Easter bank holiday weekend, while 13% planned to undertake DIY or home renovation projects during the same period.
Wider household spending also showed signs of recovery, growing by nearly 3%. Within this, electronics spending rose by 4.6% and furniture by 1.8%. Despite this, total retail spending fell slightly by 0.2% year-on-year in March.
"Essential spending" dropped by 2.9%, mainly driven by a 4% decrease in supermarket spend. However, "non-essential spending" rose by 2.2%, showing renewed confidence in discretionary purchases.
Rohan Kumar, head of client insights at Barclays, said: 'Overall consumer spending saw a slight rise in March, as consumers managed their budgets ahead of anticipated bill rises. Despite this caution, confidence in discretionary spending remained strong, with the sunnier weather boosting categories such as garden centres.'
The data indicates cautious optimism among consumers, with better weather and seasonal trends playing a key role in driving spend across lifestyle and home-related sectors.
Source: www.kbbreview.com