Sales of furniture and textiles saw a boost on the high street in March, with shoppers attracted by 'cleverly targeted promotions'.
Mid-size high street retailers saw a second consecutive months of improvements in retail spending in March, with overall like-for-like sales up by more than 8%.

The BDO High Street Sales Tracker for March reported a 7.2% increase in non-fashion sales for the month, with the early Easter break boosting sales in most categories. Gifting and leisure were the strongest categories, while demand for luxury goods, saw a decline.

Homeares sales rose steeply with a 9.1% in March. According to BDO, the traditional start to the DIY season fuelled a surge for many stores on the high street, with textiles and furniture performing particularly well.

Sales through non-store channels also saw a 40% increase for the month.

BDO head of retail Don Williams said: "An early Easter, sunny weather and cleverly targeted promotions have seen retailers report excellent results for March. Sales were up across all categories and this has been a huge and much-needed boost to the retail sector.

"However, this does not signal the end of the downturn. We expect that the second half of the year will be more of a struggle for the sector, so retailers must focus on excelling in customer service to make sure people continue to spend money on the high street."