'Ripple of fear' over Iran war hits consumer confidence

"A ripple of fear is spreading."

— Neil Bellamy , Executive

"The decline in GfK consumer confidence in March... is probably the start of a bigger fall and suggests real household spending growth will soften in 2026."

— Ashley Webb , Academic

"With confidence weakening, costs rising due to higher freight and energy costs and spending intentions faltering, the outlook for retailers looks set to be an increasing struggle in the months to come."

— Susannah Streeter , Academic