United Kingdom (UK) Summer Retail Market: Analyzing Trends, Consumer Attitudes, Occasions and Key Players, 2026

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Published: September 22, 2026 Report Code: GDRT260016OC-ST

Report Overview
Key Players
Table of Contents
Table
Figures

The UK Summer 2026 report forms part of the Retail Occasions series, and offers a comprehensive overview of the major retail occasion of summer. The report analyses the market, the major players, the main trends and consumer attitudes.

The proportion of consumers shopping for summer rose in 2026, recovering much of the ground lost in 2025. Retail and leisure penetration increased, driven by unusually hot weather this summer with many of those who spent more this summer citing hotter weather than expected.

Scope

The GlobalData UK Summer Retail 2024 report forms part of the retail occasions series and offers a comprehensive overview of the major retail occasions of summer. Meanwhile, the report analyses the market, the major players, the main trends, and consumer attitudes.

Key Highlights

The proportion of consumers shopping for summer increased on the previous year

Consumers traded down this summer as they prioritised saving money due to cost-of-living pressures

Amazon tightens its grip as the go-to retailer for non-food summer products

Reasons to Buy

Use our in-depth consumer insight to learn which retailers appealed the most to consumers shopping for summer

Understand what categories are the most popular among summer shoppers

Use our average spend data to understand how much consumers are spending in each summer category

Aldi
Amazon
Argos
ASDA
B&M
B&Q
Boots
Co-op
Dunelm
Go Outdoors
H&M
Home Bargains
Iceland
IKEA
John Lewis & Partners
Lidl
Local garden centre
Marks & Spencer
Matalan
Morrisons
Next
Poundland
Primark
Sainsbury's
Shein
Superdrug
Temu
Tesco
TG Jones
The Works
TK Maxx
Waitrose & Partners
Waterstones
WH Smith
Zara

KEY FINDINGS

Summary of Summer 2026

The key findings

Trend insight – stores

Trend insight – online

CONSUMER ATTITUDES

Buying dynamics

Financial wellbeing

Summer spending

Financial spending

Buying dynamics

Spend on categories

Spend more on categories

Spend less on categories

Summer activities

Buying dynamics

Summer statements

Retailer selection

Retailer ratings – grocers

Retailer ratings – non-food retailers

Buying dynamics

Bank holiday activities

Buying dynamics

Retailer drivers by category

Secondhand summer items

FOOD & DRINK

Buying dynamics

Retailer selection

Channel usage

Store type

Device usage

Fulfilment

Spending

Buying dynamics

BUYING FOR HOLIDAYS

Buying dynamics

Retailer selection

Channel usage

Store type

Device usage

Fulfilment

Spending

Buying dynamics

GENERAL SUMMER PURCHASING

Buying dynamics

Retailer selection

Channel usage

Store type

Device usage

Fulfilment

Spending

Buying dynamics

METHODOLOGY

Table

Retailer ratings across key measures – grocers, 2026

Retailer ratings across key measures – non-food retailers, 2026

Bank holiday products purchased – food items, 2025 & 2026

Bank holiday products purchased – drink items, 2025 & 2026

Secondhand products purchased, 2026

Retailers shopped at for food & drink, 2025 and 2026

Retailers most shopped at for food & drink, 2025 & 2026

Retailers consumers switched to for food & drink, 2025 & 2026

Products purchased – non-alcoholic drinks, 2025 & 2026

Products purchased – desserts, 2025 & 2026

Products purchased – BBQ food, 2025 & 2026

Products purchased – alcohol, 2025 & 2026

Products bought on impulse, including summer food, summer drinks and overall figure, 2025 & 2026

Retailers shopped at for summer holiday shopping, 2025 & 2026

Products purchased – holiday healthcare, 2025 & 2026

Retailers used – holiday healthcare, 2025 & 2026

Products purchased – clothing & accessories, 2025 & 2026

Retailers used – clothing & accessories, 2025 & 2026

Products purchased – beach & swim, 2025 & 2026

Retailers used – beach & swim, 2025 & 2026

Products purchased – entertainment, 2025 & 2026

Retailers used – entertainment, 2025 & 2026

Products purchased – luggage & travel accessories, 2025 & 2026

Retailers used – luggage & travel accessories, 2025 & 2026

Products purchased – holiday accessories, 2025 & 2026

Retailers used – holiday accessories, 2025 & 2026

Products purchased – camping & outdoors, 2025 & 2026

Retailers used – camping & outdoors, 2025 & 2026

Products bought on impulse, across all buying for holidays categories, 2025 & 2026

Retailers shopped at for general summer purchasing, 2025 & 2026

Products purchased – summer clothing, 2025 & 2026

Retailers used – summer clothing, 2025 & 2026

Products purchased – outdoor & gardening products, 2025 & 2026

Retailers used – outdoor & gardening products, 2025 & 2026

Products purchased – items for events at home, 2025 & 2026

Retailers used – items for events at home, 2025 & 2026

Products purchased – picnic, 2025 & 2026

Retailers used – picnic, 2025 & 2026

Products bought on impulse, across all summer purchasing categories, 2025 & 2026

Figures

Summer shopper penetration, 2020-2026

Top categories consumers spent more on during the summer, 2026

Reasons consumers spent more this summer, 2026

Agreement with the statement “I invested in new electrical products such as a fan because of the hot weather in the UK this summer”, 2026

Summer shopper penetration, overall (2024, 2025 & 2026) and by demographic, 2026

Summer shopper penetration, by region, 2026

Summer retail shopper penetration, overall (2024, 2025 & 2026) and by demographic, 2026

Summer retail shopper penetration, by region, 2026

Summer leisure penetration, overall (2024, 2025 & 2026) and by demographic, 2026

Summer leisure penetration, by region, 2026

Financial wellbeing compared to last year, 2025 & 2026

Summer spending compared to last year, 2025 & 2026

How consumers financed summer spending, 2025 & 2026

How BNPL options influenced spending decisions in the summer, 2025 & 2026

Retail vs leisure split of summer spending, 2026

Which discounts and promotions appealed and were used in the summer, 2026

Spend on categories compared to last year, 2026

Why consumers spent more this summer compared to last, 2026

Why consumers spent less this summer compared to last, 2026

Summer activities undertaken, 2026

Holiday locations in the UK, 2025 & 2026

Holiday types in the UK, 2025 & 2026

International holiday locations, 2025 & 2026

International holiday types, 2025 & 2026

Summer statements net agreement with statements about summer, 2026

Summer statements: agreement and disagreement, 2026, and change on 2025

Which retailer did the best job at communicating and promoting deals for summer, 2026

Bank holiday shopper penetration, overall (2024, 2025 & 2026) and by demographic, 2026

Bank holiday shopper penetration, by region, 2026

Bank holiday activities undertaken, 2026

Bank holiday food penetration, overall (2024, 2025 & 2026) and by demographic, 2026

Bank holiday drinks penetration, overall (2024, 2025 & 2026) and by demographic, 2026

Summary of retailer drivers by category, 2026

Summer food & drink penetration (and by demographic) 2024, 2025 & 2026

Secondhand summer item purchases, total and by demographic, 2026

Reasons for shopping secondhand, 2026

Reasons for not shopping secondhand, 2026

Top 10 retailers shopped at for summer food & drink, 2025 & 2026

Top 10 retailers most shopped at for summer food & drink, 2025 & 2026

What's driving retailer selection (food & drink shopping) 2026, and ppt change on 2025

Consumers switching from their usual retailer (food & drink shopping) overall (2024, 2025 & 2026) and by demographic, 2026

Retailers consumers switched to, 2025 & 2026

Reasons for switching from usual retailer for food & drink purchases, 2026 and ppt change on 2025

Consumers using each channel for purchasing summer food & drink, 2025 & 2026

Consumers using each store type for purchasing summer food & drink, 2025 & 2026

Consumers using each device for purchasing summer food & drink, 2025 & 2026

Fulfilment options for summer food & drink purchases made online, 2025 & 2026

Summer food & non-alcoholic drink spend, 2026 & monetary change on 2025

Summer alcoholic drink spend, 2026 & monetary change on 2025

Summer 2026 non-alcoholic penetration (and by demographic), and 2024 & 2025 non-alcoholic penetration

Summer 2026 desserts penetration (and by demographic), and 2024 & 2025 desserts penetration

Summer 2026 BBQ food penetration (and by demographic), and 2024 & 2025 BBQ food penetration

Summer 2026 alcohol penetration (and by demographic), and 2024 & 2025 alcohol penetration

Summer 2026 salads penetration (and by demographic), and 2024 & 2025 salads penetration

Summer 2026 snacks penetration (and by demographic), and 2024 & 2025 snacks penetration

Summer 2026 cooked meats penetration (and by demographic), and 2024 & 2025 cooked meats penetration

Summer 2026 condiments & relishes penetration (and by demographic), and 2024 & 2025 condiments & relishes penetration

Summer 2026 fish & other seafood penetration (and by demographic) & 2025 fish & other seafood penetration

Summer 2026 other foods penetration (and by demographic)

Planned/impulse purchases (overall food & drink shopping), 2026

Summer 2026 holiday shopping penetration (and by demographic), and 2024 & 2025 holiday shopping penetration

Top 10 retailers shopped at for holiday shopping, 2025 & 2026

What's driving retailer selection (holiday shopping), 2026, & ppt change on 2025

Consumers using each channel for holiday shopping, 2025 & 2026

Consumers using each store type for purchasing holiday shopping, 2025 & 2026

Consumers using each device for purchasing holiday shopping, 2025 & 2026

Fulfilment options for holiday shopping purchases made online, 2025 & 2026

Average spend on holiday shopping, 2026 & monetary change on 2025

Summer 2026 holiday healthcare penetration (and by demographic), and 2024 & 2025 holiday healthcare penetration

Summer 2026 clothing & accessories penetration (and by demographic), and 2024 & 2025 clothing & accessories penetration

Summer 2026 beach & swim penetration (and by demographic), and 2024 & 2025 beach & swim penetration

Summer 2026 entertainment penetration (and by demographic), and 2024 & 2025 entertainment penetration

Summer 2026 luggage & travel accessories penetration (and by demographic), and 2024 & 2025 luggage & travel accessories penetration

Summer 2026 holiday accessories penetration (and by demographic), and 2024 & 2025 holiday accessories penetration

Summer 2026 camping & outdoors penetration (and by demographic), and 2024 & 2025 camping & outdoors penetration

Planned/impulse purchases (holiday shopping), 2026

Summer 2026 general summer purchases penetration (and by demographic), and 2024 & 2025 general summer purchases penetration

Top 10 retailers shopped at for general summer purchases, 2025 & 2026

What's driving retailer selection (general summer purchasing), 2026, & ppt change on 2025

Consumers using each channel for purchasing general summer items, 2025 & 2026

Consumers using each store type for purchasing general summer items, 2025 & 2026

Consumers using each device for purchasing general summer items, 2025 & 2026

Fulfilment options for general summer purchases made online, 2025 & 2026

Average spend on general summer products, 2026 & monetary value change on 2025

Summer 2026 summer clothing penetration (and by demographic), and 2024 & 2025 summer clothing penetration

Summer 2026 outdoor & gardening products penetration (and by demographic), and 2024 & 2025 outdoor & gardening products penetration

Summer 2026 items for events at home penetration (and by demographic), and 2024 & 2025 items for events at home penetration

Summer 2026 picnic penetration (and by demographic), and 2024 & 2025 picnic penetration

Planned/impulse purchases (general summer purchasing), 2026

United Kingdom (UK) Summer Retail Market: Analyzing Trends, Consumer Attitudes, Occasions and Key Players, 2026 standard reports

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