UK Shoppers Ready to Spend as Confidence Edges Up, GfK Says

Britons are more likely to buy big-ticket items than they were before Rachel Reeves’ budget, according to a prominent survey that suggests sentiment has improved in the run up to Christmas.

GfK’s indicator of major purchase intentions rose to minus 11 in December, up four points from November and the highest score since January 2022. All the sentiment measures tracked by GfK, including consumers’ outlook for the economy and their own finances, improved from November when fears of tax rises in Labour’s budget weighed on confidence.