The mood among Dutch consumers improved further in March as the confidence index climbed three points to -7, the national statistics office CBS said on Thursday.

Consumers were optimistic about the economic climate in general, although their willingness to buy has not improved and they were less keen to make major purchases such as washing machines on televisions, the CBS said.

Consumer confidence has been rising almost continuously since the summer of 2013 after hitting a low point of -44 early in the year.