Warm weather boosts clothing and DIY retailers in surprise March sales uplift

UK retail sales unexpectedly rose last month as warmer weather boosted sales for fashion chains and garden centres, according to new official figures.

The overall quantity of sales increased by 0.4% in March, following a rise of 0.7% in February, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

Most analysts had been expecting sales to decline by 0.4% last month.

Between January and March, the volume of sales rose by 1.6% compared with the previous quarter.

This was the biggest increase in nearly four years, since the spring of 2021, the ONS said.

Hannah Finselbach, ONS senior statistician, said: “The good weather helped to boost sales across a variety of sectors.

“Garden centres reported robust trading and the sunny weather also helped brighten sales of DIY goods and clothing.

“Food sales, particularly within supermarkets, again had a poor month.

“The bigger picture shows retail sales are up across the quarterly and annual period, but are still a little below pre-pandemic levels.”