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Booming spring sales or lucky timing?
Retail sales growth in the UK was strong during March because customers are more confident than they were this time last year.
However, even though the sales looked strong, they were distorted by the fortuitous timing of Easter, according to the British Retail Consortium.
Even though the Office for National Statistics reported last week that sales were stronger this March than in 2009, the BRC’s director general Stephen Robertson, said: “The strong retail sales growth seen in March was mainly caused by the distorting effect of Easter, the seasonally adjusted figures actually show growth slowed compared with February.
“Last year’s very weak performance also helped to flatter the annual comparison,” he added. “While customers are more confident than they were this time last year, the political and economic uncertainty surrounding the election is holding back underlying spending for now.”
Jane Parkinson, 26.04.2010