Historically sunny spring to set UK retailers up for a bumper quarter
The UK’s sunniest spring on record has encouraged Brits into brick and mortar stores in a much-needed boost for Britain’s struggling retailers.
Britain experienced its sunniest April ever in 2025, while Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland each recorded their second sunniest.
The effect has been to loosen wallets and “encourage shoppers to head out to their local shopping destinations”, the chief of the British Retail Consortium (BRC), Helen Dickinson, said.
Total UK footfall increased by 7.2 per cent in April year on year, up from a fall of 5.4 per cent in March, according to the BRC.
High street, retail park and shopping centre footfall all increased, despite each segment falling the prior month.
Next became the first major to report the sales boost from the warm weather earlier this week, with retail sales in the UK up 5.2 per cent in the first quarter.
The FTSE100 giant said “much of the over-performance” in the first quarter was the result of warmer weather, which “benefited the sale of summer-weight clothing”.
“In our experience, shops benefit disproportionately from the favourable weather,” Next said.
In typically conservative fashion, Next boosted its bottom line by £14m due to the extra £55m in sales, but did not increase its expected sales for the rest of the year.
Peel Hunt analysts said they expected the weather to boost fellow retailers B&Q and Dunelm, with a “clear read-across” for the entire sector. Both are due to report results later in the spring.
Sunny weather in the UK – particularly unexpectedly sunny weather – tends to act as a catalyst for the purchase of garden equipment, outdoor furniture and summer clothes.
It also boosts pub and property spending, with optimism amongst Brits skyrocketing as spring arrives (86 per cent feel their mood is improved by the arrival of spring, according to a recent poll).
A “much-needed boost”
The UK’s retail sector has been struggling with a “permacrisis” – online shopping, a Covid-19 hangover and high taxes are compounding a problem that began with the financial crisis in 2008, according to the Centre for Retail Research (CRR).
With many out of the habit of high street shopping, shops have been struggling with a lack of in-store customers – even by early 2023, customer footfall was 10 per cent lower than in 2019, and in major cities, even less.
Brits have instead turned to experiences like meals out, city breaks, gym memberships and subscriptions to TV Channels, leaving less to spend in shops.
The multi-million pound boost this spring will therefore be a welcome boon to struggling stores, particularly those on the high street.
“Retailers will now be looking to build on this momentum as we move into the summer months,” Sumpter said.
Will Next outshine peers?
It’s worth noting that Next is in a better spot than most of its peers, and its excellent set of first-quarter results isn’t a guarantee that other retailers will be boosted to the same extent.
Next has harnessed online sales, particularly third-party sales via its platform Label, to supercharge growth in the online era.
The company has focused on partnering with – and taking an equity stake in – more third-party brands, as well as new licenses and faster and more accurate delivery than “pure-play online competitors”, Panmure Liberum analysts found.
The company has described a slow evolution from in-store to online as “key to [its] growth”.
“While the sun might have brought forward sales, Next is in a real sweet spot in terms of its brand offering, the roll out of its hosting format for third parties, and its traditional retail operation,” John Moore, senior investment manager at RBC Brewin Dolphin, said.
“We’re reaching the point with Next where anything other than solid momentum and exceeded expectations would be considered a disappointment,” he added.