Sun shines on UK clothing industry with biggest April rise for five years

Sales of clothing and footwear, such as flip-flops and shorts, up 8.7% year on year, with analysts crediting spell of good weather last month

Britain's shoppers have taken advantage of the spring sunshine and stocked up on shorts and sandals early, which has contributed to the strongest growth in April clothing sales for more than five years.

Retail sales data from the Office for National Statistics, published on Thursday, showed the volume of clothing and footwear sales was 8.7% higher than the same month a year earlier.

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