UK consumer spending down in December: Survey

UK consumer spending was down in December despite a late Christmas rush, according to a survey.

Spending fell by 1.7 per cent on a year earlier, and by 0.9 per cent on the previous month, with the High Street particularly weak, according to Visa Europe's expenditure index.

Household goods spending fell by 9.2 per cent year-on-year, while money spent on food and drink shrunk 2.2 per cent.

However, according to a separate survey from MasterCard retail sales were up in December.

The survey found that sales excluding petrol were up by 3.9 per cent against a year earlier.

Shweta Chaudhary at MasterCard Spending Plus said retail sales had a slow start in December... [but] households left their Christmas shopping until the last minute and gave a late boost to retail sales on the High Street and online.