UK consumer confidence steady in March as younger people expect to spend more soon

Pessimism on the economy still elevated

UK consumer confidence stabilised in March following February’s dim figures, as gen Z members said they are expecting to spend more compared to the previous three months in every category considered by the British Retail Consortium and Opinium survey.

According to the BRC-Opinium poll, the respondents' perception of the state of the UK economy rose to -35 in March, up from -37 in February, while their personal financial situation improved to -10 in March, compared to -11 a month prior. OECD downgrades UK growth forecast to 1.4% for 2025 On the retail personal spending front, scores rose to 0 in March from -5 in February, with overall personal spending rising from +4 in February to +11 this month. Helen Dickinson, BRC chief executive, said the stabilisation of consumer confidence this month came "coupled with an increase in spend...