Pubs raise toast to Easter sunshine

WARM weather boosted spending in pubs last month – but airlines struggled to take off.

Overall, consumers spent 2.5pc more in April than a year earlier, according to research by Barclaycard.

Pubs and restaurants pulled in 13.1pc and 10pc more cash respectively. Garden centres saw a rise in custom of 16.2pc.

But spending on airlines slumped by 4.8pc, the lowest level since records began in 2015, as Brexit uncertainty and warm weather at home took a toll. So-called essential spending was also up by 6.2pc, boosted by strong performance from supermarkets and petrol stations.

But the wider retail industry continued to decline. Spending on clothing contracted by 5.3pc, while electronic and department stores each saw a 2pc fall.

Six in ten shoppers said they expected no change to their spending in May and only one in ten suggested they were likely to spend on big-ticket items like holidays or a new car.