In stark contrast, according to the Met Office, April 2025 was the sunniest April for the UK since records began in 1910, with an average of 228.9 hours of sunshine across the month.  

The warm weather, combined with Easter weekend falling in April this year, prompted consumers to head to the UK’s high streets, retail parks and coastlines, increasing overall retail spending by 6.8 per cent year-on-year.  

For the first time since 2019 – when tracking of these categories began – every retail subcategory saw growth. In-store retail spending increased 4.9 per cent, after declining -1.9 per cent year-on-year in March.  

The biggest winner from April’s good weather and increased retail spending were garden centres, where spending increased 25 per cent versus the same period last year. This represents the category’s highest growth on record. This follows on from a very positive March, which also saw the category grow by 13.4 per cent. 

Clearly, amid the record hours of sunshine, and hopes of a hot summer, many consumers took the opportunity to spruce up their gardens for the months ahead. 

As well as garden centres, the hospitality and leisure sector also enjoyed a boost in the good weather, with spend up by 6.7 per cent, the highest increase since 2023. 

Alfresco dining and enjoying drinks outside meant pubs and cafes were back in vogue, with growth in spending at bars, pubs and clubs reaching a 16-month high, up 6.6 per cent.

Inspired by the sunshine, the same phenomenon was happening in homes with many moving the barbecue back into the garden once more. Spending at food and drink specialists such as butchers, off licences and artisan grocers, increased by 11.4 per cent, with transactions growing by a full 17.4 per cent.

It wasn’t only the specialists that enjoyed a positive month. In April, supermarket spending moved back into growth, with the overall grocery category up 6.7 per cent. 

Karen Johnson, Head of Retail at Barclays, said: “April’s sunny weather inspired consumers to embrace the best of Britain, with all retail, hospitality, and leisure subcategories in growth for the first time since our current records began.”

Spending on health and beauty continued its upward trajectory, with an increase of 15.1 per cent in April. That increase follows on from the 11 per cent increase the category saw in March, itself its biggest since April 2022.  

Given the weather, you might have expected suncream and SPF to feature highly on many shopping lists, but it seems that come rain or shine, nothing can slow the category down.