Candice Fonseca, proprietor of Liverpool-based Delifonseca said March sales in her food hall were “booming”.
“With hospitality venues still closed in March 2021, many people headed to their local baker for sweet and savoury treats to celebrate the Easter period,” agreed Karen Dear, director of operations at the Craft Bakers Association.
“The second reason is the growing interest in shopping locally and in products with provenance, which bakers are perfectly placed to offer.
Ben Ozmen of BENS Greengrocer shops in London, also saw increased footfall in March.
According to David Jinks, head of consumer research at ParcelHero, analysts had expected e-commerce sales to slump in March, but the proportion of online sales only fell slightly month-on-month to 34.7% compared with 23.1% in March 2020.
As well as growing demand for products fit for a sharing platter, Delifonseca said sales of its handmade products were flying.
In the drinks arena, Candice found that local as well as German-made beers were performing well.
EY upgraded its growth forecasts for 2021 as the vaccine programme and the easing of lockdown restrictions boosted the economy faster than expected.
“The UK economy has proven to be more resilient than seemed possible at the outset of the pandemic.
Many fine food independents have been a bright spot in the economy through the pandemic as essential retailers.