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%.

Read more from business:
TikTok warns of US ban without free speech ruling
Interest rates held for seventh time in a row
Sainsbury's sells banking arm to NatWest

Follow Sky News on WhatsApp

Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News

Tap here

Economist Andrew Wishart, from research firm Capital Economics, said it suggested that lower inflation was starting to encourage shoppers to open their wallets more.

He said: "Overall, the retail sales data for May showed tentative signs that strengthening real income growth now inflation is back at target is feeding through to stronger spending.

"As long as inflation continues to behave, this might not prevent [an interest] rate cut in August, although a strengthening in activity could mean the pace of rate cuts thereafter is gradual."

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.

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.