Retail sales last month were boosted by sales of summer clothes and other items for enjoying the warm weather, new figures show.
Sales volumes grew by 0.3% in May, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. This is slightly less than the 0.5% growth in April but is far better than the 0.2% decline forecast by economists.
Sunny weather and three bank holidays boosted online sales of outdoor goods and summer clothes. Fuel sales also rose, after a decline in April, and garden centres and DIY stores saw growth.
This was partly offset by a drop in food sales as supermarkets prices continued to rise and as more people ordered takeaways or went to the pub.
Sales of jewellery and art also fell back after a strong April.
Overall, consumers are buying slightly less than they were before the pandemic. But because prices have risen, they are spending more in total.
Compared with February 2020, retail sales were 0.8% lower by volume but 17.0% higher in value terms.
