UK retail sales rose by a better than expected by 2.3% in April compared with the month before, mainly due to good weather.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said sales were up by 4% compared with April last year, exceeding forecasts of 1% monthly growth and 2% year-on-year growth.
"Anecdotal evidence from retailers suggests that good weather contributed to growth," the ONS said.
However on a rolling three-month basis, which partially removes single month fluctuations, sales also picked up slightly.
"The underlying pattern, as measured by the three month on three month estimate, showed a slight increase in April 2017 following a short period of contraction, increasing by 0.3%," it said.
Average UK prices slowed slightly in April, falling from 3.3% in March to 3.1%.
