29/04/2003

Spring warms UK retails sales

Figures from the Office of National Statistics revealed a 0.6% increase in retail sales during March this year.

The latest seasonally adjusted figures revealed that sales had increased by 4.3% on the March 2002 figure.

The good weather throughout March tempted shoppers out onto the high streets to snap up commodities such as food drink and tobacco - up 4%, and household goods – up 3%.

This helped maintain the weekly value of retail sales in March averaged £4,280 million, a figure 2.7% higher than that of the corresponding period in the previous year. At current prices the first quarter of the year saw sales grow by 3.1%.

Though in terms of volume the seasonally adjusted figures showed a 0.1% increase in food store sales in the first three months of the year, and the sales in non-food outlets was up 0.5%.

The rise confounded the predictions of many leading economists whose most optimistic forecasts had been less than 0.4%.

The increase in retail sales has lessened expectations of an interest rate cut by the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee who meet next week to decide if there should be any change to the current rate.

(SP)

Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

28 March 2014
Retail Sales Bounce Back A 1.7% Rise In February
Retail sales increased more than expected in February according the official figures recuperating their sales volumes until nearly 1.7% last month after the post-Christmas slump when it felt a 2%. In fact, February sales were 3.
17 February 2005
Quarterly sales flat in 'uncertain' consumer outlook
The latest figures for retail sales in the UK show that in the three months to January the seasonally adjusted index for retail sales remained flat and though the overall sales trend is on a par with the previous three months, the outlook remains uncertain.
21 February 2014
ONS Figures Show Year-On-Year Increase In Retail Sales
New figures from the Office for National Statistics have revealed a 1.5% drop in retail sales in January, down from a pre-Christmas boost of 2.5% but still 4.4% up on January 2013. Comparing year-on-year figures for January there was an 8% increase in non-food sales, with sales of household good increasing by 9.
10 January 2012
Retail Sales Soar During Christmas Rush
UK retail sales were boosted by a pre-Christmas rush. Sales values were 2.2% higher on a like-for-like basis from December 2010, when sales had fallen 0.3%, hit by snow. On a total basis, sales were up 4.1%, against a 1.5% increase in December 2010. On both measures and excluding Easter distortions, sales performance was the best since January.
14 August 2013
Scottish Sales 'Outpace UK Sales' In July
The latest SRC-KPMG Scottish Retail Sales Monitor has revealed that Scottish sales outpaced its UK counterpart for the month of July. It is thought Andy Murray's triumph at Wimbledon, as well as the sustained period of hot weather combined to give Scotland's high streets their best performance for two years.