Winter blast takes toll on UK retail sector – ONS

UK retail sales notched up their biggest quarterly fall in a year as the late blast of winter weather kept shoppers away from the high street, official figures have revealed.

Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that sales fell by 1.2 per cent in March, sucked down by a 7.4 per cent slide in petrol sales as the adverse weather conditions hit travel.

Sales were down 0.5 per cent for the first quarter as a whole compared with the closing three months of 2017, marking their biggest quarterly fall since the first quarter of 2017.

The impact of the bad weather follows February’s modest 0.8 per cent increase in sales.

Ben Brettell, senior economist at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: “The situation in March was exacerbated by the Beast from the East, which brought economic disruption, along with joy to children’s faces.

“That said, a couple of high-profile retailers have bucked the trend in recent days, with both Primark and JD Sports reporting improved figures.”