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.”
