BDO reports mixed sales for the month, with non-fashion down 3.2% but DIY boosted by good weather.
High street retailers saw a slight uplift in takings during April, with an overall sales increase of 1.7%, according to BDO's latest High Street Sales Tracker.

Prompted by the improved weather, DIY activity continued to be popular, helping homewares report a 4.7% like-for-like sales increase for the month.

However, the Sales Tracker revealed a mixed performance overall, with fashion sales up 3.4%, boosted by an Early Easter and sunny weather, and non-fashion sales down 3.2% for the month compared with a 7.2% rise in March.

Meanwhile, sales through non-store channels and online continued a strong run with a monthly gain of more than 46%.

BDO LLP head of retail Don Williams commented: "These results are slightly below expectations and despite relatively strong homeware spending, trade was sluggish. Non-fashion sales, in particular, decreased relatively steeply due to less spending from overseas tourists.

"With a new government yet to form, retailers and consumers are uncertain about what the future holds in terms of tax increases and spending cuts. However, we remain optimistic that retail spending will hold up during the second half of the year."