Insights on spending in UK towns and cities during February 2026 on behalf of Beauclair

Sales across GB towns and cities fell by –4.0% year-on-year in February 2026, a sharper decline than January’s -0.7% decrease, despite little change in underlying economic conditions. Persistent heavy rainfall throughout the month, which discourages consumers to make trips to town centres, is likely to have been a key contributor to the weaker performance.

There were noticeable year on year drops in both customers (-4.2%) and transactions (-5.7%) and, whilst the average transaction value rose (+1.8%), the increase was modest, suggesting ongoing consumer caution regarding spending.

All five key sectors – those sectors that account for 86% of total sales – recorded drops in sales from February 2025 with the most significant declines in Food & Drink (-5.0%), Fashion (-4.2%) and General Retail (-3.2%).  Grocery and Health & Beauty were the most resilient (-2.0% and -0.7%).   Whilst Health & Beauty fared best in overall sales terms with a modest drop of -0.7% from February 2026, this sector recorded drops in customers and transactions that were equivalent to Fashion and Food & Drink (-6.8% and -6.5%). 

The key differentiator was its stronger average transaction value (ATV) (+6.3%), outperforming Food & Drink (+3.9%) and Fashion (+2.4%).   The sector’s higher ATV likely reflects a combination of customers seeking premium products and early year price increases — particularly in services such as beauty treatments, gyms, and wellness offerings which are part of the Health & Beauty sector. As a result, average revenue per customer for Health & Beauty rose by +6.6%, significantly ahead of Food & Drink (+1.5%) and Fashion (+0.9%). This suggests that while it is a discretionary purchase, Health & Beauty remains a relatively non-negotiable spending category for many consumers.

Note: The Beauclair GB Benchmark is based on the median retail performance of 62 nationwide Town & City Centres