UK shoppers return to high street as warm weather brings respite from shadow of war

Greater numbers of consumers went shopping last month as spring sunshine brought welcome relief to retailers, which have faced a squeeze on spending since the US-Israel war on Iran . Figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and a separate survey by the accountancy firm BDO showed a bounce-back in footfall during May, reversing a sharp decline in April. The recovery coincided with consumer confidence surveys showing a rise in May as shoppers began to get over the sharp rise in petrol and diesel prices linked to the Middle East conflict, which began in late February. BDO said total sales on the high street grew by 3.4% from the same month in 2025. The BRC said it recorded a 2.6% decline in footfall in May from the same month last year, but the situation had improved markedly since a year-on-year slump of 10.7% in April. The BRC’s survey, which includes shopping centres and retail parks with high street stores , found that high streets were the winner, registering a decline of just 1.7%, while shopping centres fared worst, declining by 2.4%. Helen Dickinson, the chief executive of the BRC, said: “While total UK footfall remained down on last year, it was a significant improvement on April’s double-digit drop.” She said soaring temperatures in the last week of May deterred many shoppers from venturing out, ending any hopes of footfall registering a positive figure. …