Retail sales marginally increase in March despite shift in holidays

New figures by KPMG-British Retail Consortium (BRC) have shown a slight increase in UK retail sales for the month of March, despite a shift in date for Easter that distorts the year-on-year sales comparisons.

With this in mind, retail sales for the month rose 1.1 percent YoY, against a growth of 3.5 percent in March 2024. This came below the three-month average growth of 1.6 percent and above the 12-month average growth of 0.6 percent.

As food sales rose 1.6 percent, non-food sales only marginally increased by 0.6 percent, against a decline of 0.4 percent in the same month last year. This also fell below the three-month average growth of 1.1 percent, yet was above the 12-month average decline of 0.8 percent.

Online non-food sales were stronger than in-store, increasing by 1.8 percent, while store sales fell 0.1 percent. The online penetration rate, however, rose to 37.1 percent, up from 36.6 percent in March 2024.

In the report, CEO of the BRC, Helen Dickinson, said the small increase in sales “masked signs of underlying strengthening of demand given March 2025’s comparison with last year’s early Easter”, despite what was a "challenging global geopolitical landscape”.

She continued: “The improving weather made for a particularly strong final week, with gardening and DIY equipment flying off the shelves. Jewellery and beauty products were helped by Mother’s Day, though sales of bigger ticket items like furniture remained weak. Retailers are making final preparations for Easter, with food expected to be the big winner next month.”