A heatwave last month helped push the sales of garden furniture up.
Customers, buoyed by the good weather, bought summer clothes as well as picnic furniture, according to the latest figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC).
Figures from the body show that continued weakness of the housing market and the hot weather meant people spent less on indoor furniture but bought garden items instead.
Data released on Tuesday (July 14th) show that like-for-like sales were up 1.4 per cent last month, compared to the same time last year. It follows a 0.8 per cent fall in May.
The hot weather gave a boost to food retailers and got people spending in general, according to BRC director Stephen Robertson.
However it was not all good news as sales of larger items continued to slump as consumers tighten their belts.
"Given the uncertainty about jobs, customers are still nervous about spending on more expensive non-essentials," Mr Robertson said.
Recent data from the Garden Centre Association (GCA) shows that sales of outdoor items rose by 1.35 per cent year-on-year in June, with sales being up 11 per cent this year to date, reports Horticulture Week.
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A heatwave last month helped push the sales of garden furniture up. 
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