All sectors report positive year-on-year growth except household goods, with declines in both volume and value terms.
While warm weather and the Royal Wedding Bank Holiday stimulated sales in most sectors, household goods saw a 3.5% fall in sales volumes and 2.7% decline in value terms, according to the latest ONS retail Sales Index.

It was a similar story in John Lewis' latest weekly sales figures, with home down 2% and categories described as "slightly subdued".

The ONS' latest monthly report, which surveys 5,000 retailers across the UK, revealed that retail sales volumes in April were up 2.8% overall compared with the same month last year, with sales values up by 6.2%.

Sales in 'other' stores, which includes garden centres, were up 4.3% in volume terms, helped no doubt by the warmest April on record and the two Bank Holiday weekends. This category of retailers also saw the highest increase in sales values for the month, up 4.7%.

The highest increase in terms of volume sales was seen in the non-specialised store category, which rose by 4.4%.