Winners and losers of the British summer

With the August Bank Holiday fast approaching and speculation about the weather set to continue, new research by The Co-operative Bank Credit Cards reveals the real winners and losers of the great British summer.

The study compared two consecutive weekends where the weather was vastly different. The last weekend in May was a hot sunny weekend with a national average temperature of 24°C compared to the first weekend in June which was cooler and wetter with a national average temperature of 10°C.

The figures revealed that transactions at country clubs and private golf courses increased by almost 30% on the hot weekend, making it number the one winner in the holiday warm weather stakes. DIY stores and garden centres were the next most popular, with spending increasing by 27% on a hot weekend and 18% respectively.

Conversely, spending habits changed greatly on the colder weekend with proportionately more transactions taking place at travel agencies and tour operators, as people booked holidays in search of the sun. Shopping also proved a popular activity with an increase of a fifth (21%) at departmental stores and a tenth (13%) at grocery stores.

The figures show that the weather has an obvious effect on the spending habits of consumers, with outdoor activities having a much higher uptake during hotter weather compared to the colder weather. With so many Brits staycationing some retailers will be hoping the hot weather continues however other retailers will hope it ends, whilst the unpredictable summer weather is likely to keep people guessing.

Maxine Xodo-Rose, Credit Card Product Manager at The Co-operative Bank, comments: "Summer offers a great opportunity to spend time with the family, entertaining kids for two months can quickly add up so spending money wisely whatever the weather is a must.

"The Co-operative Bank offers a wide variety of credit cards that offer additional benefits such as our Credit Card Plus offering discounts on family tickets to the London Aquarium for those sunny weekends, and savings on family holidays if its on the chilly side so customers can still enjoy the sun even if its not in the UK".