Retail sales, Great Britain: March 2024

Retail sales volumes (quantity bought) were estimated to be flat (0.0%) in March 2024, following an increase of 0.1% in February 2024 (revised from 0.0%).

Within retail, sales were mixed, with automotive fuel and non-food stores sales volumes rising by 3.2% and 0.5%, respectively. This was offset by falls in food stores and non-store retailers of 0.7% and 1.5%.

Looking at the quarter, sales volumes increased by 1.9% in the three months to March 2024 when compared with the previous three months. This was following low sales volumes over the Christmas period for retailers.

March 2024 continued the steady trend seen in February 2024, as both sales values (amount spent) and volumes saw no change on the month (0.0%).

Volumes rose 0.8% over the year to March 2024, while remaining 1.2% below their pre-coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic level in February 2020. These data are available in our Retail Sales Index datasets.

The reporting period for this bulletin covers 25 February 2024 to 30 March 2024.

Automotive fuel sales volumes rose in March 2024 to reach their highest index level since May 2022. Retailers reported that this rise was linked to increased footfall on their forecourts.

Non-food stores sales volumes (the total of department, clothing, household and other non-food stores) rose by 0.5% over the month, with increased footfall reported by some retailers. This is consistent with the rise in footfall on the high street, as seen in the national retail footfall data in our Economic activity and social change in the UK, real-time indicators bulletin. Rises were seen in secondhand goods stores (which includes antiques and auction houses), hardware and furniture stores, and clothing stores.

Offsetting these rises, department stores, food stores and non-store retailing sales volumes all fell over the month with retailers suggesting that increased prices were affecting consumer spending habits.

The amount spent online, known as online spending values, rose by 0.1% over the month to March 2024, and by 1.7% over the year.

As total spend showed no growth on the month, the 0.1% rise in the amount spent online increased the proportion of sales made online, from 25.8% in February 2024 (revised from 25.7%) to 25.9% in March 2024.

For March 2024, the response rates were 58.4% based on returned forms, and this accounted for 91.6% of total turnover coverage of the sample population. For historical response information, see our Retail sales quality tables.

Information on how we calculated the data, including their strengths and limitations, and a glossary of relevant terms are available in our Retail Sales Index Quality and Methodology Information (QMI).