Clothing and outdoor retailers cited good weather as the reason for a rise in sales volumes, which rose by 0.4% versus the previous month. Analysts had been expecting a 0.4% fall.
It marks the third consecutive month of increases in retail sales, albeit with momentum slowing month on month. January saw a 1.3% rise, while February sales rose by 0.7% (a downward revision since the sales figures were first announced last month).