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Nigel TAYLOR Published
April 1, 2025
Consumer confidence may be struggling, but not so retail. Optimism’s high regarding profits and growth for the year ahead, as high as it has been in nearly 10 years, a new survey shows.
Confidence in March among retailers leapt to its highest level since August 2025, according to the Lloyds Business Barometer with its sentiment index for the sector having risen seven points to 58%. That’s much higher than the overall business confidence reading of 49%, which was still a seven-month high and unchanged from the previous month.
The data comes after estimates from the Office for National Statistics last week revealed that retail sales rose in January and February, up by 1.4% and 1% respectively. Separate figures from the ONS also showed that real incomes increased at their fastest pace in nearly a decade at the end of last year, helping to fuel a rise in consumer spending.
Consumption could be further boosted if households save less each month: the ONS said that the economy-wide savings ratio was well above its long-run average at 12 per cent in the final quarter of last year.
Lloyds carried out the survey of 1,200 businesses before the government’s Spring Statement, which cut welfare spending as part of a £14 billion package to restore the UK's thin fiscal headroom.
Hann-Ju Ho, senior economist at Lloyds Commercial Banking, said: “Business confidence remained steady this month, suggesting that UK companies may have been waiting to see the impact of government decisions at home and globally.
“Despite this, [the] data continues to reflect a positive growth trend in the UK economy. With confidence maintaining last month’s high, business leaders are optimistic, noting that investing in their development and workforce will position them well to seize future growth opportunities.”
Lloyds said that nearly two thirds of businesses expected to grow in the coming year, while there was a small dip in companies’ hiring plans in the coming year.
Lloyds said that 63% of companies expect to increase prices over the coming year, while 2% plan to cut them.