According to Barclay Card warmer weather and a late Easter saw UK consumer spend in April grow by 3.7% year-on-year, with DIY and gardening categories showing strong growth.
The sectors performed particularly well in April with consumer spend in garden centres growing by 20% and DIY stores seeing an increase of 12% year-on-year.

The booming housing market has helped with this growth according to Barclay Card, continuing the big spending trend of the past year as consumers invest in home improvement.

Consumers also took to the internet to do their shopping in April as online spending for gardening and DIY also saw impressive growth.

DIY stores saw online spending rocket by 44%, whereas garden centres saw spending rise by 40%.

But despite these encouraging signs, Barclay Card's ceo Val Soranno Keating warned that until real wages increase consumers will remain cautious with their spending.

She added: "Though many economic indicators continue to paint a positive picture and the talk is of a recovering economy, the improvements are yet to trickle down and positively impact on household budgets.

"While the spending in April is encouraging, this is as likely to reflect the better weather and the long Easter weekend as any improvement in the economy."