A rush of back-to-school and university purchases saw retail sales unexpectedly bounce back last month, official figures show.
Retail volumes in September grew 0.6 per cent month-on-month, following a downwardly revised 0.4 per cent drop in August, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
Household goods stores grew 3.2 per cent month-on-month in September, the strongest growth in 19 months, as schoolchildren and students bought computers and laptops before starting the new academic year.
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Economists, who on average forecast flat sales volumes, had expected the September heatwave to hit the month's performance, but the ONS said this only had a minor impact on clothing, which dropped 0.7 per cent.