--CBI says net 30% UK retailers' Mar sales up, vs Feb 32%
--CBI says net 26% UK retailers expect higher sales in April
--CBI: Underlying UK sales trend Jan-Mar 33%; Dec-Feb 28%
--CBI: Net 10% UK retailers say Mar sales good for time of year
--CBI: UK retail sales volume growth "remains robust"
--CBI: UK motor sales up sharply in March, biggest rise since 1988

London, April 4 (BridgeNews) - U.K. retail sales grew at a robust pace in March, although less then retailers expected, and are forecast to slow only slightly in April, according to the latest Confederation of British Industry distributive trades survey. A net 30% of retailers reported sales up in March, down from 32% in February. The CBI also said that sales of motor vehicles surged in March.
* * * "This month's survey is showing robust growth across all sectors of distribution. Retailers' sales volumes in March grew at a similar strong rate to February, though not as quickly has had been expected.
Wholesalers' volumes rose significantly while motor traders reported the fastest increase in volumes since August 1988," the CBI said.
The survey results place a question mark over the extent to which consumer confidence has been affected by the slowdown in the U.S. economy and the spread of foot and mouth disease in the U.K. countryside.
The three-month moving average of sales volumes rose to 33%, its highest since May 2000 and above the long-term average balance for sales in the survey.
Sales volumes in April are expected to slow, but the net balance of 26% is still higher than the balances recorded in the second half of 2000. A net 10% of retailers reported sales in March as good for the time of year, down from 15% in February. A balance of 4% expect sales in April to be good for the time of year.
Alastair Eperon, chairman of the CBI's Distributive Trades Panel, said: "Sales volume growth remains robust, but the optimism of last month has been disappointed. With sales now expected to grow more slowly in April, retailers will be monitoring the effect of the U.S. slowdown on the European and U.K. economies."