DIY And Gardening Boosted March Retail Sales

The ONS has published retail sales data for March.

Main points

• Retail sales volumes (quantity bought) are estimated to have risen by 0.4% in March 2025. This follows a rise of 0.7% in February 2025 (revised down from a rise of 1.0% in our last bulletin).
  
  
• Sales volumes rose by 2.6% over the year to March 2025.
  
  
• More broadly, three months of rising volumes led to a 1.6% rise across the three months to March 2025 (Quarter 1), when compared with the three months to December 2024 (Quarter 4). This was the largest three-monthly rise since July 2021. There was a 1.7% rise when comparing with the same period last year. Volumes were down by 0.3%, compared with their pre-coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic level in February 2020.
  
  
• Clothing and outdoor retailers reported that good weather boosted sales. These increases were partly offset by food stores sales volumes which fell by 1.3% on the month, following a 2.2% fall in February 2025. Supermarkets had the largest downward contribution.

• Non-food stores sales volumes - the total of department, clothing, household and other non-food stores - rose by 1.7% over the month. This put monthly sales volumes at their highest level since March 2022. Within non-food stores, clothing stores were the subsector with the strongest growth with retailers mentioning good weather boosting sales. Other non-food stores also rose in March 2025, which was strongest within second-hand goods stores (includes antiques and auction houses) and stores selling garden supplies. Retailer comments pointed to the good weather.
  
  
• The Met Office climate summaries reported that the UK had its third sunniest March on record, and reported that March 2025 was warmer and drier than usual.
  
  
• Non-store retailing sales volumes were up on the month, with similar commentary received about the weather, specifically mentioning boosts to clothing and DIY goods.
  
  
• The amount spent online, known as “online spending values”, rose by 2.0% over the month to March 2025. Sales values also rose by 5.4% when comparing March 2025 with March 2024. However, they fell by 0.3% when comparing the three months to March 2025 (Quarter 1) with the three months to December 2024 (Quarter 4). Total spend – the sum of in-store and online sales – rose by 0.3% over the month. As a result, the proportion of sales made online rose from 26.4% in February 2025 to 26.8% in March 2025.

Greg Zakowicz, senior ecommerce expert at Omnisend, comments: “A third consecutive month of increasing retail sales will be welcome news for retailers — particularly those still coming to grips with recent tax increases.

“It’s a fragile recovery, unfolding in the shadow of a volatile global landscape — from ongoing supply chain reconfigurations in the wake of US–China trade tensions, to the lingering effects of inflation on essential goods. Our own research from last month found that nearly half of Brits are worried about how US tariffs may affect the price of goods. 

“The retail landscape is now a hybrid one, increasingly shaped by how well brands can bridge the digital and physical experience.

“We expect retail sales to continue showing modest but sustained growth throughout 2025. While consumer confidence remains cautious, the gradual easing of inflation and interest rates may encourage more shoppers to spend rather than save.

“The recent announcement that Topshop will return to the high street through partnerships with other retailers signals renewed interest in the in-store experience. By taking a cautious approach, its parent company, ASOS, has managed the heritage brand carefully — using its name to drive online-only sales while re-evaluating its physical presence.

“Mother’s Day was the key shopping event in March, but we observed notable changes in how consumers responded. A fifth of Brits felt that brands were trying too hard to capitalise on the occasion — with many expressing frustration at the volume of marketing emails they received.”

Source : ONS, Omnisend

Image : michaeljung / shutterstock / 196039496

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