Retail sales in the UK jumped by 1.2% in April, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), as sunny weather and the Easter holiday drove higher spending on food and drink.

This marks a sharp improvement from March’s revised growth of just 0.1% and outpaces analysts’ expectations of a 0.4% increase.

The ONS noted that the recent three-month period now reflects the strongest growth in nearly four years, despite ongoing concerns about pressure on household finances.

The warm weather was a key factor behind the uptick, with food store sales rising 3.9% — the best result since January. Supermarkets, bakers, butchers, and alcohol retailers all reported strong performance.

Other sectors also saw gains, with department stores up 2.8% and household goods retailers climbing 2.1%. However, not all sectors benefited equally. Clothing and footwear retailers saw a 1.8% drop in sales after a strong March.

“Sunny skies and warm temperatures helped boost retail sales in April,” said Hannah Finselbach, senior statistician at the ONS. “Supermarkets led the rebound in food sales, while department and household goods stores also had a good month. In contrast, clothing sales took a hit.”

Kris Hamer, director of insight at the British Retail Consortium, linked the rise in consumer spending to seasonal gatherings. “With the first taste of summer, food and drink sales performed particularly well as people hosted Easter events, barbecues, and picnics,” he said.

However, Hamer also warned of rising costs for retailers, noting that April brought an extra £5 billion in expenses due to increases in employer National Insurance contributions and the national living wage — a figure set to rise to £7 billion with the introduction of a new packaging tax later this year. Photo by Edwardx, Wikimedia commons.