March shoppers hit the high street as effect of early Easter is felt –BRC/KPMG

Latest retail data has shown a rise in shopper numbers last month prompted by the early Easter holiday.

High streets recorded their biggest rise in sales for more than a year during March with like-for-like sales rising by 3.2 per cent year-on-year, according to the latest monitor from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and KPMG.

The data published today marks the strongest growth since January 2014, though the period – covering the five weeks to 4 April – was flattered by trading in the run-up to an earlier than-normal Easter.

The increase is the third month in a row of retail sales improvement since a fall in December.

Like-for-like sales lifted by 0.2 per cent in February and January.

Food sales were the strongest contributor to growth last month, experiencing their strongest trading since July 2013, as shoppers stocked up ahead of the holiday period.

This was a ray of light for grocers amid the prevailing gloom of falling prices at supermarkets due to intense competition from discounters.

David Mccorquodale, head of retail at KPMG, said: “While the figures are inflated by the timing of Easter, they are still a welcome boost for retailers who have battled flat or falling like-for-like sales for the last quarter.

“Signs of recovery were seen in the grocers’ figures, who are mounting a slow but steady fight back. However price deflation continues to dog the sector.”

Furniture and household appliances provided the second biggest contribution to the industry’s growth, helped by the recovery in the housing market.

But clothing sales were subdued as colder weather made spring and summer ranges less appealing.

Online sales of non-food products grew 12.3 per cent in March versus a year earlier.