Furniture retail sales rose during March on last month as well as increasing against an annual comparison.
According to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics, furniture and lighting retail sales rose 21.8% to £1.45bn from £1.19bn in February. Compared to the previous year, sales were up 0.6% from £1.44bn.
Floorcovering retail sales increased month-on-month, up by 27.8% to £294.1m from £230m. Compared to the same time last year, sales fell by 4.2% from £307.3m.
Retail sales volumes (quantity bought) are estimated to have risen by 0.7% in March 2026, following a fall of 0.6% in February 2026. As for the value (amount spent), this was up 34% month-on-month to £51.5bn.
Non-food stores (the total of department, clothing, household, and other non-food stores) rose by 0.7% as sales of clothing improved, with retailers reporting better weather. Within other non-food stores, both auction houses and computer and telecoms retailers also performed well, with reports of new product launches.
This was offset by a fall-back in commercial art galleries following a strong January and February 2026. Non-store retailers also rose on the month amid the spring sales and new products being released, with volumes at their highest level since February 2022.
Within the monthly series, online sales values rose by 2.4% over the month to March 2026. They rose by 10.5% when comparing March 2026 with March 2025.
The total spend (the sum of in-store and online sales) rose by 1.8% over the month. As a result, the proportion of sales made online rose from 28.2% in February 2026 to 28.7% in March 2026.
Commenting on the retail sales figures up to March, ONS senior statistician Hannah Finselbach said: “Retail sales rose in the three months to March, with commercial art galleries doing well earlier in the quarter and sales in beauty products stores rising as retailers reported launching new collections. Online shops also saw strong sales across the period.
“Motor fuel sales were up on the quarter, with retailers commenting that many motorists had been filling up their tanks in March following the start of conflict in the Middle East.”
