Fuelled by inflation and extended lead times, furniture and lighting sales reached record levels in March.
The value of sales in England, Wales and Scotland jumped by 31.7% compared with February to more than £1.579bn during the month, according to ONS data.
This is the highest figure since records began in January 1986. Since then monthly sales have only topped £1.5bn three other times: December 2020 (£1.53bn); December 2018 (£1.515bn) and December 2019 (£1.507bn).
The highest sales figures below £1.5bn are September 2020 (£1.499bn); June 2021 (£1.479bn) and September 2019 (£1.45bn).
Compared with March 2019, sales were 15.3% higher. Compared with 2020, which saw the beginning of lockdown, sales were 56.3% higher and up 44.1% on March 2021.
