American shoppers are helping boost the European retail market says Planet Shopper Index. Looming fears of a US manufacturing recession and the growing threat of a trade war with China aren’t affecting American spending abroad, especially as the dollar remains strong against the euro and the pound. Fashion and beauty are among the main beneficiaries of tourist spending in the UK and Europe. Tax-free retail sales to US shoppers have risen in double-digits for 14 months in succession, with a 15 per cent year-on-year rise in July and a growth of 30 per cent earlier this year.

Emerging APAC economies are also driving European retail growth. Europe has seen rising spend on the part of consumers from India, the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia. They have helped counter slowdowns from other major luxury spenders like Chinese and Russian tourists.

The ICC Cricket World Cup, hosted in the UK this year, saw an additional 80,000 Indian nationals visit the country, with tax-free sales booming 18 per cent in June. And Indians love luxury brands, the category accounting for 42 per cent of spending by Indian shoppers in the UK. Chinese and Gulf Co-Operation Council shoppers have been traditionally seen as Europe’s biggest luxury spenders.