UK retailers flip optimistic on gross sales hopes

After a troublesome winter, UK retailers are hoping for a pick-up in gross sales subsequent month.

The CBI’s month-to-month gauge of the retail sector, simply launched, exhibits that retailers have the primary optimistic gross sales expectations since final September.

Its anticipated gross sales steadiness elevated to +9 for April, up from -18 in March. That ends a run of detrimental gross sales expectations since final October.

Gross sales in March have been reported roughly flat at +1, little modified from February’s studying of +2, as the price of dwelling squeeze continues to hit client spending.

CBI principal economist Martin Sartorius says it’s “encouraging” that exercise within the retail sector appears to be stabilising, after “a difficult winter”, including:

“This resilience has helped encourage some spring shoots of optimism, with companies anticipating a rise in gross sales for the primary time since final September.”