UK shoppers cut back on luxuries as inflation rises: surveys

London

BRITISH consumers are cutting back on non-essential spending as the impact of last year's Brexit vote pushes up the cost of their day-to-day shopping, two surveys showed on Tuesday.

In a fresh sign of caution among consumers - who helped the economy withstand the Brexit shock last year - the British Retail Consortium (BRC) industry group and Barclaycard reported signs of weakening demand for more expensive items. "The persistent weak sales performance of several non-food categories points to an undeniable trend of cautious spending on non-essential items," BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson said.