Retail sales rose by a better-than-expected 2.9% in May as increased footfall, better weather and deals saw shoppers return to high streets, according to officials.
It comes following a poor performance during the previous month as days of heavy rain dampened demand in much of the country.
Non-food shops reported strong monthly growth in May, with a rebound in clothes and furniture sales in particular, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported on Friday.
Money latest:
Three major brands fail sunscreen tests
Footwear, sports equipment, games and toys outlets also experienced an improvement in their quantity of sales.
Economists polled by news agency Reuters had been expecting a rise of around 1.5%.
Meanwhile, the ONS also revised its retail sales figures for April.
It previously estimated that they fell by a worse-than-expected 2.3%, but now says the drop was 1.8%.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive Breaking News alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News App. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.
Content Source: news.sky.com