March of 2025 was a very sunny month for the UK.
According to the Met Office, England enjoyed its sunniest March since records began in 1910, and for the UK as a whole it ranked third. Across the month, the country enjoyed 185.8 hours of sunshine – 59 per cent more than the long-term meteorological average.
And, looking at the figures from the March Barclays Consumer Spend Report, it had a significant impact on the way consumers spent their money.
Garden centres enjoy their time in the sun
Overall retail spending fell -0.2 per cent in March. This was a drop from its slight growth of 0.6 per cent in February, but the fall was not felt across all retail sectors.
Garden centres were the month’s big winners, with spend growth of 13.4 per cent – the biggest spike since Barclays started tracking the category in January 2024. The increase comes as almost a quarter (23 per cent) of UK adults said they were planning to garden over the Easter bank holiday weekend.
With many garden centres now attracting families with petting zoos and soft play barns, their appeal goes beyond pots and plants, offering shoppers a full day out.
Getting barbecue ready
Food and drink specialist stores were also boosted by the sunshine. These retailers saw an increase of 4.3 per cent from March 2024’s figure – their highest growth since October 2023. With record amounts of sunshine, it’s easy to imagine that barbecue and picnic supplies will have been high people’s wishlists.
The warm weather also saw DIY spending moving into growth in March (0.9 per cent) for the first time since June 2023 – perhaps unsurprising, given 13 per cent of consumers said they are going to use their days off over the long weekend for home improvements.
Speaking about March’s spending trends, Karen Johnson, Head of Retail at Barclays, said: “There are some welcome green shoots, as the warmer weather and longer evenings encouraged consumers to invest time and money in gardening and DIY – a trend that looks set to continue in the run up to Easter.”
Health and beauty remains unstoppable
Whether they were stocking up on suntan lotion or antihistamines, consumers continued to spend in the pharmacy, health and beauty category, providing the category with an 11 per cent increase – its biggest since April 2022. The category grew 8.9 per cent year-on-year in February, suggesting that for many shoppers, these “non-essential” purchases are a top priority.
Drinking outside overtakes ordering in
Growth was subdued for the eating and drinking category in March, which fell by -0.2 per cent. Perhaps due to outdoor socialising, bars, pubs and clubs did see a small uplift of 0.8 per cent. Conversely, there was a -0.8 per cent drop in spending on takeaways, suggesting longer, brighter evenings saw consumers changing their plans.
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