London Retail Rallies in March

The British Retail Consortium has confirmed that retail sales in central London rose during March, 9.9 percent higher on a like-for-like basis than in 2009.

BRC reported the boom was aided by Easter falling in March (not April) this year; Easter saw a 4.3 percent rise in footfall numbers. It said the weak pound was a second factor, luring tourists to London with the promise of cheaper shopping.

“These are strong figures, helped by an earlier Easter, overseas visitors and improving consumer confidence,” says Stephen Robertson, director general of the BRC. “Overall, London’s retail sales growth was well up on a year ago and outperformed the rest of the U.K. by a wide margin.”

For the January-to-March period, London’s retail sales were up 7.7 percent compared with 2009. In the U.K. as a whole, sales up were 2.1 percent.

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