DIY sales drive Scots rebound

Gardening and DIY purchases helped boost rebounding Scottish sales figures, but growth is still lower than last year.

The latest figures show total retail sales in Scotland grew 0.3 per cent last month compared to an increase of 0.8 per cent in March last year.

This growth is up from the 0.1 per cent total reduction in February and the Scottish retail body remain confident of increased sales this month.

Although political uncertainty is believed to be having an impact on the buying of big, expensive items, areas such as DIY and gardening products helped contribute to a 1.3 per cent rise in non-food sales.

With Easter and school holidays falling in April, Scottish Retail Consortium director David Lonsdale said businesses could have “cautious optimism” about next month’s growth.