But while spending overall was up, fears surrounding coronavirus impacted the retail sector particularly, with department stores hardest hit. They contracted 3.6% as shoppers avoided the high street. Fashion was down by less but clothing spend still dipped 1.7% as a result.In fact, as many as 28% of Britons avoided physical shops as they worried about the possibility of being infected with the virus.
At the same time, spending on essential items rose by 1.6%, bolstered by supermarket and fuel expenditure, which grew by 1.3% and 2.5% respectively, with some irrational stockpiling being a factor in this.People still seem to be upbeat though with Barclaycard saying confidence remains reasonably high, some 42% of UK adults feeling positive, up from 32% a year ago.That said, 36% of U…