Fashion sales did better in March than expected, as retail sector shows resilience

Easter falls slightly later this year than it usually does. This meant that many expected the retail sector to suffer as a consequence. However, figures just announced by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and KPMG suggest that the sector actually performed much better than expected in March. There was a decline in retail sales, but this decline was much softer than what was expected. Today, the Shopper Discounts and Rewards blog looks at more on this subject.

The Spring/Summer 2014 Collection at London Fashion Week

good weather boosts fashion sales

It’s thought that one of the key influential factors in this was the weather. The mild weather in March encouraged many people to shop for spring and summer wardrobes. It is these fashion buys that drove retail performance most strongly. Items such as women’s ballet pumps and summer dresses did particularly well. It was lucky, then, that the good weather coincided with the launch of many new seasonal ranges in shops!

Helen Dickinson, Director General of the British Retail Consortium, said:

“Retailers have worked hard to create popular new collections, and have been rewarded with strong demand for women’s clothing and footwear in particular. This improves on the slow start to the season last year when shoppers were more reluctant to spruce up their wardrobes.”

late bank holiday put people off DIY in March

There were some sectors of retail that actually performed lower than hoped. For example, an area that is normally expected to do very well in March is that of household and furniture – but this is usually because of the Easter bank holiday weekend. The bank holiday weekend did not fall in March this year, which is why household, furniture and DIY items showed a slightly weaker performance in March than expected. But perhaps it will pick up in April! Webloyalty recently revealed our Easter plans:

What will you be spending on over the Easter bank holiday weekend? Are you planning on some DIY, or looking to buy some new summery clothes? Shopper Discounts and Rewards wishes you a Happy Easter!