Retail sales rebounded strongly in March as the prospect of an easing in coronavirus lockdowns unleashed pent-up demand, according to official figures.

Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed sales volumes leapt by 5.4% in March from February – beating the expectations of analysts who had expected a figure closer to 1.5%.

It said fashion sales were particularly bullish with a rise of 17.5% over the period, despite most stores remaining closed under COVID-19 rules.

But an easing of travel restrictions in March saw petrol sales rise 11.1%, and with the vaccine rollout continuing at pace, shoppers headed out to stores that remained open in greater numbers as temperatures warmed following a cold winter for the economy.

The ONS added that the share of shopping done online slipped from a record high in February to 34.7% in March as more people ventured out.

It left retail sales up 7.2% compared with March 2020 when the pandemic first started to bare its teeth on the sector.

A jobs tracker produced by Sky News shows it has been among the worst hit through the enforced closure of so-called non-essential retail, with the crisis accounting for some of the biggest names in the business.

Those to collapse included Sir Philip Green’s Topshop empire and Debenhams.

The remnants are now in the hands of online specialists Boohoo and ASOS – with their store networks, and thousands of jobs, consigned to the scrap heap.

The ONS said the latest data reflected “the effect of the easing of coronavirus restrictions on consumer spending”.

It backs up the latest evidence of high demand now restrictions have eased further.

Primark‘s owner reported earlier this week that it saw record sales when it reopened its doors on 12 April across England.

Many of its sites witnessed long queues while a separate reading of consumer confidence, released earlier on Friday, showed its highest level since before the pandemic began.

Related posts:

BAE Systems hands Woodburn £2m pay rise after poaching bid Darktrace to launch £3bn float despite Deliveroo debacle Next raises profit forecast as sales smash expectations Millions to see energy bills rise by up to £139 as Ofgem hikes price cap How to switch energy suppliers in seven simple steps Online player 888 nears victory in race for William Hill’s UK operations Cinven to snap up £2bn wealth management platform True Potential Why Blackrock’s China ambitions have drawn fire from one of the world’s most famous investors Sainsbury’s upgrades profit guidance despite fall in Christmas sales Biden admits ‘more work to do’ as US inflation hits 7% for first time in nearly 40 years Benefits hike should be doubled to protect poorest from cost of living surge – IFS Tesco hails Christmas sales growth ‘despite growing cost pressures and supply chain challenges’