Retail sales drop 2.2% in March despite Mother's Day and Easter boost

In store sales down versus March 2023

Retail sales fell by 2.2% in March, despite Mother’s Day and Easter increasing foot traffic in stores, BDO's High Street Sales Tracker found.

More specifically, in-store sales dropped by 1.8% and non-store sales by 2.3%. UK businesses forecast lower wage growth over the next year to 4.9% This is markedly lower than the same time last year, when total sales were up 4.1%, with store and non-store sales increasing by 6.6% and 2.8%, respectively. Foot traffic was boosted in the second and last week of the month due to Mothering Sunday as well as the Easter period and school holidays, but the figures were negative for the first and third week of March, BDO found. Overall, the 2.2% drop marks the sixth consecutive negative ...