UK consumer activity slowed in mid-June – ONS

LONDON (Reuters) – British consumer activity slowed in mid-June, with fewer visits to restaurants, less usage of public transport and a slight fall in credit and debit card spending, data collated by the Office for National Statistics showed on Thursday.

Credit and debit card spending – based on Bank of England interbank CHAPS payments data, which is not adjusted for inflation or the time of year – dropped to 99% of its February 2020 average in the week to June 23 from 100% the week before.

Restaurant reservations from booking website OpenTable dropped by 16 percentage points to 111% of their average at the same point in 2019, while Google Mobility figures showed a 6% fall in visits to ‘transit locations’ in the week to June 24.

Rail workers’ unions held widespread strikes on June 21, June 23 and June 25.

(Reporting by David Milliken; Editing by William Schomberg)