Retail sales fell in March as customers continued to rein in spending amid record-high levels of inflation.
Sales volumes fell 0.9% in March 2023, following a rise of 1.1% in February. Non-food store sales fell 1.3% over the same period, while food sales fell 0.7%, according to the latest ONS Retail Sales data.
Online retail sales volumes fell 0.8% in March, following a 0.3% rise in the previous month.
The reporting period for the latest set of data covers February 26 to April 1, so excludes the Easter school holidays.
The fall in non-food sales has partly been blamed on poor weather conditions with the UK having 155% of its average rainfall for the month.
Department store and clothing store sales volumes fell by 3.2% and 1.7% respectively over the month.
The ONS reported that 26% of adults experienced shortages of essential food items needed on a regular basis, up from 18% in February.
Online spending values rose 0.8% in March and the value of online spending also rose, despite the fall in retail sales overall.
The proportion of online sales rose 25.8%, while the proportion of sales online has been broadly consistent at around 26% since May 2022.
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