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

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Published: September 23, 2025 Report Code: GDRT250016OC-ST

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The UK Summer 2025 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 decreased from the previous year after a significant uptick in 2024. A decrease in leisure spending drove this decline, as more consumers opted for free leisure activities such as visiting family and friends or relaxing in their gardens this year. Retail penetration fell due to ongoing cost pressures. In fact, over half of consumers cited the rising cost of living as a reason for reducing their spending this year.

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 decreased from the previous year following a significant uptick in 2024.

Almost a third of summer shoppers spent more on food & grocery as inflation drove spend.

More summer shoppers purchased from value and discount retailers for summer holiday items in 2025.

Reasons to Buy

Use our in-depth consumer insight to learn which summer product categories are shopped the most by consumers and to ensure that product offers are catering to the needs and wants of customers.

Understand what drives consumers to use a retailer for their purchases, such as range, price and quality in order to maximise sales potential.

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
John Lewis & Partners
Lidl
Marks & Spencer
Matalan
Monsoon
Morrisons
Next
Poundland
Primark
Sainsbury's
Shein
Superdrug
Temu
Tesco
The Works
TK Maxx
Waitrose & Partners

Table of Contents

KEY FINDINGS

Summary of Summer 2025

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

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, 2025

Retailer ratings across key measures – non-food retailers, 2025

Bank holiday products purchased – food items, 2024 & 2025

Bank holiday products purchased – drink items, 2024 & 2025

Retailers shopped at for food & drink, 2024 and 2025

Retailers most shopped at for food & drink, 2024 & 2025

Retailers consumers switched to for food & drink, 2024 & 2025

Products purchased – non-alcoholic drinks, 2024 & 2025

Products purchased – BBQ food, 2024 & 2025

Products purchased – desserts, 2024 & 2025

Products purchased – alcohol, 2024 & 2025

Products bought on impulse, including summer food, summer drinks and overall figure, 2024 & 2025

Retailers shopped at for summer holiday shopping, 2024 & 2025

Products purchased – holiday healthcare, 2024 & 2025

Retailers used – holiday healthcare, 2024 & 2025

Products purchased – clothing & accessories, 2024 & 2025

Retailers used – clothing & accessories, 2024 & 2025

Products purchased – beach & swim, 2024 & 2025

Retailers used – beach & swim, 2024 & 2025

Products purchased – entertainment, 2024 & 2025

Retailers used – entertainment, 2024 & 2025

Products purchased – luggage & travel accessories, 2024 & 2025

Retailers used – luggage & travel accessories, 2024 & 2025

Products purchased – holiday accessories, 2024 & 2025

Retailers used – holiday accessories, 2024 & 2025

Products purchased – camping & outdoors, 2024 & 2025

Retailers used – camping & outdoors, 2024 & 2025

Products bought on impulse, across all buying for holidays categories, 2024 & 2025

Retailers shopped at for general summer purchasing, 2024 & 2025

Products purchased – summer clothing, 2024 & 2025

Retailers used – summer clothing, 2024 & 2025

Products purchased – outdoor & gardening products, 2024 & 2025

Retailers used – outdoor & gardening products, 2024 & 2025

Products purchased – items for events at home, 2024 & 2025

Retailers used – items for events at home, 2024 & 2025

Products purchased – picnic, 2024 & 2025

Retailers used – picnic, 2024 & 2025

Products bought on impulse, across all summer purchasing categories, 2024 & 2025

Figures

Summer shopper penetration, 2018-2025

Top retailers shopped at for food & drink, 2025

Top five summer activities, 2025

Summer shoppers' spending compared to last year, 2025

Summer shopper penetration, by demographic, 2023, 2024 & 2025

Summer shopper penetration, by region, 2023, 2024 & 2025

Summer retail shopper penetration, by demographic 2023, 2024 & 2025

Summer retail shopper penetration, by region 2023, 2024 & 2025

Summer leisure penetration, by demographic, 2023, 2024 & 2025

Summer leisure penetration, by region, 2023, 2024 & 2026

Financial wellbeing compared to last year, 2024 & 2025

Summer spending compared to last year, 2024 & 2025

How consumers financed summer spending, 2024 & 2025

Retail vs leisure split of summer spending, 2025

Spend on categories compared to last year, 2025

Why consumers spent more this summer compared to last, 2025

Why consumers spent less this summer compared to last, 2025

Summer activities undertaken, 2025

Holiday locations in the UK, 2024 & 2025

Holiday types in the UK, 2024 & 2025

International holiday locations, 2024 & 2025

International holiday types, 2024 & 2025

Summer statements: agreement and disagreement, 2025, and change on 2024

Which retailer did the best job at communicating and promoting deals for summer, 2025

Bank holiday shopper penetration, by demographic, 2023, 2024 & 2025

Bank holiday shopper penetration, by region, 2023, 2024 & 2025

Bank holiday activities undertaken, 2025

Bank holiday food penetration (and by demographic), 2023, 2024 & 2025

Bank holiday drinks penetration (and by demographic), 2023, 2024 & 2025

Summary of retailer drivers by category, 2025

Summer food & drink penetration (and by demographic) 2023, 2024 & 2025

Top 10 retailers shopped at for summer food & drink, 2024 & 2025

Top 10 retailers most shopped at for summer food & drink, 2024 & 2025

What's driving retailer selection (food & drink shopping) 2025, and ppt change on 2024

Consumers switching from their usual retailer (food & drink shopping), 2023, 2024 & 2025

Retailers consumers switched to, 2024 & 2025

Reasons for switching from usual retailer for food & drink purchases, 2025 and ppt change on 2024

Consumers using each channel for purchasing summer food & drink, 2024 & 2025

Consumers using each store type for purchasing summer food & drink, 2024 & 2025

Consumers using each device for purchasing summer food & drink, 2024 & 2025

Fulfilment options for summer food & drink purchases made online, 2024 & 2025

Summer food & non-alcoholic drink spend, 2025 & monetary change on 2024

Summer alcoholic drink spend, 2025 & monetary change on 2024

Summer 2025 non-alcoholic penetration (and by demographic), and 2023 & 2024 non-alcoholic penetration

Summer 2025 BBQ food penetration (and by demographic), and 2023 & 2024 BBQ food penetration

Summer 2025 desserts penetration (and by demographic), and 2023 & 2024 desserts penetration

Summer 2025 alcohol penetration (and by demographic), and 2023 & 2024 alcohol penetration

Summer 2025 snacks penetration (and by demographic), and 2023 & 2024 snacks penetration

Summer 2025 salads penetration (and by demographic), and 2023 & 2024 salads penetration

Summer 2025 cooked meats penetration (and by demographic), and 2023 & 2024 cooked meats penetration

Summer 2025 condiments & relishes penetration (and by demographic), and 2023 & 2024 condiments & relishes penetration

Summer 2025 fish & other seafood penetration (and by demographic) & 2024 fish & other seafood penetration

Summer 2025 other foods penetration (and by demographic)

Planned/impulse purchases (overall food & drink shopping), 2025

Summer 2025 holiday shopping penetration (and by demographic), and 2023 & 2024 holiday shopping penetration

Top 10 retailers shopped at for holiday shopping, 2024 & 2025

What's driving retailer selection (holiday shopping), 2025, & ppt change on 2024

Consumers using each channel for holiday shopping, 2024 & 2025

Consumers using each store type for purchasing holiday shopping, 2024 & 2025

Consumers using each device for purchasing holiday shopping, 2024 & 2025

Fulfilment options for holiday shopping purchases made online, 2024 & 2025

Average spend on holiday shopping, 2025 & monetary change on 2024

Summer 2025 holiday healthcare penetration (and by demographic), and 2023 & 2024 holiday healthcare penetration

Summer 2025 clothing & accessories penetration (and by demographic), and 2023 & 2024 clothing & accessories penetration

Summer 2025 beach & swim penetration (and by demographic), and 2023 & 2024 beach & swim penetration

Summer 2025 entertainment penetration (and by demographic), and 2023 & 2024 entertainment penetration

Summer 2025 luggage & travel accessories penetration (and by demographic), and 2023 & 2024 luggage & travel accessories penetration

Summer 2025 holiday accessories penetration (and by demographic), and 2023 & 2024 holiday accessories penetration

Summer 2025 camping & outdoors penetration (and by demographic), and 2023 & 2024 camping & outdoors penetration

Planned/impulse purchases (holiday shopping), 2025

Summer 2025 general summer purchases penetration (and by demographic), and 2023 & 2024 general summer purchases penetration

Top 10 retailers shopped at for general summer purchases, 2024 & 2025

What's driving retailer selection (general summer purchasing), 2025, & ppt change on 2024

Consumers using each channel for purchasing general summer items, 2024 & 2025

Consumers using each store type for purchasing general summer items, 2024 & 2025

Consumers using each device for purchasing general summer items, 2024 & 2025

Fulfilment options for general summer purchases made online, 2024 & 2025

Average spend on general summer products, 2025 & monetary value change on 2024

Summer 2025 summer clothing penetration (and by demographic), and 2023 & 2024 summer clothing penetration

Summer 2025 outdoor & gardening products penetration (and by demographic), and 2023 & 2024 outdoor & gardening products penetration

Summer 2025 items for events at home penetration (and by demographic), and 2023 & 2024 items for events at home penetration

Summer 2025 picnic penetration (and by demographic), and 2023 & 2024 picnic penetration

Planned/impulse purchases (general summer purchasing), 2025

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