The amount British retailers sold remained unchanged last month, as a rise in petrol and diesel sales helped offset falls at department stores and food shops. Retailers reported that more people were visiting their petrol forecourts across the country, leading to the highest level of automotive fuel sales since May 2022, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. Automotive fuel sales volumes were up 3.2%. The latest ONS data showed that sales growth was recorded at 0.0% across the retail sector, down from 0.1% growth in February. The statisticians have revised February’s retail sales volumes reading from an earlier estimate of 0.0%. In the first three months of 2024, retail sales volumes rose 1.9%, compared with the last quarter of 2023. “Retail sales registered no growth in March,” ONS senior statistician Heather Bovill said. “Hardware stores, furniture shops, petrol stations and clothing stores all reported a rise in sales. However, these gains were offset by falling food sales, and in department stores where retailers say higher prices hit trading.” “Looking at the longer-term picture, across the latest three months retail sales increased after a poor Christmas.” The ONS said that its data had tracked rises in sales at second-hand goods...