UK retail sales soared in April as the sunny weather drove Brits out to the shops to continue a surprisingly strong start to the year.
Retail sales volumes jumped 1.2% in April after a downwardly revised 0.1% increase in March, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said on Friday. Economists were expecting a 0.3% increase.
It marked the fourth consecutive monthly rise and builds on the best quarter for British retailers since 2021.
Food store sale volumes grew 3.9%, which some retailers attributed to the good weather. Last month was the sunniest April on record, according to the Met Office.
“Sunny skies and warm temperatures helped boost retail sales in April with strong trading across most sectors,” said ONS senior statistician Hannah Finselbach.
The figures suggest UK consumers are proving resilient to economic difficulties both in the UK and abroad. The report captures ‘awful April’ when household bills shot up on water, council tax, and train fares, as well as the impact from Donald Trump’s tariffs.
“Building on the momentum seen so far this year, there’s no reason why retail sales shouldn’t continue to rise in the months ahead,” said Deann Evans, Shopify’s MD of EMEA.
“With May kicking off the run-up to notable events in June such as Beyoncé’s UK tour and Glastonbury Festival, there is a solid opportunity for retailers to capitalise.”
But Jacqueline Windsor, head of retail at PwC, was more cautious. “In the short term, some of April’s performance may have pulled forward sales from later in the spring, while rising inflation and the prospect of slower interest rate cuts risk eating into shoppers’ spending power later in the year.”
In a separate report, the latest GfK consumer confidence survey out Friday showed a slight improvement in May as Brits grew more optimistic over their personal finances and the wider economy.
It is the second index to register a rise in confidence this week after a BRC-Opinium survey found a boost in the public mood in May. The over-60s saw the biggest boost in confidence.
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