º£½ÇÊÓƵ retailers experienced a surge in sales last month, with warmer weather driving increased demand for food and drink, according to official data.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that overall retail sales volumes rose by 1.2 per cent in April, as reported by .
This is compared to a modest 0.1 per cent rise in March, which was revised down from an initial estimate of 0.4 per cent for the month.
April's retail sales growth exceeded expectations, with analysts having forecasted a 0.4 per cent increase for the month.
"The sunniest April on record brought with it a boost to retail sales," said Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium.
"While the stronger performance was partially due to Easter falling in April this year, the sunshine prompted strong consumer spending across the board," she added.
Green shoots
Earlier in May, data from the British Retail Consortium also pointed to robust retail growth in April.
According to the figures, food sales climbed 8.2 per cent after dropping 1.6 per cent last April, while non-food sales were up 6.1 per cent – a stark contrast to a decline of six per cent last year.
Hannah Finselbach, ONS senior statistician, commented: "Sunny skies and warm temperatures helped boost retail sales in April with strong trading across most sectors.
"After a poor couple of months, food sales bounced back with supermarkets reporting robust sales, while it was also a positive month for butchers and bakers, alcohol and tobacco stores.
"Conversely, after a good March, clothing sales fell this month, although it was a brighter picture for department stores and household good shops whose sales grew.
"Looking more broadly, the three-monthly growth was the largest in nearly four years."
