Figures published by the Office for National Statistics have shown that the volume of retail sales in the three months to April was up 0.1 per cent on the previous three months, following a tough start to the year for retailers, with figures showing a decrease of 0.6 per cent in the three months to March.

Monthly figures show that total sales volume increased by 0.6 per cent in April, following growth of 0.9 per cent in March and 0.3 per cent in February. A difficult January, however, got the year off to a gloomy start.

The total volume of sales in April was 3.0 per cent higher than in April 2005, despite the miserable weather. In fact, figures show a rise in UK shopper numbers over the late bank holiday weekend in May of 3.8 per cent compared to 2005.

A spokesperson for retail research concern FootFall mused that ‘forecasts of a gloomy weekend coupled with the changeable weather witnessed towards the end of the week made shopping the ideal diversion for consumers.’

This is good news for retailers as it paves the way for the expected consumer confidence as the summer begins – boosted in part by the expectation of success for the England football team, as well as the usual seasonal lift.