The 1.8% increase in January was the strongest monthly growth since May 2024, and much higher than the 0.2% predicted by some economists.
Sales volumes in non-store retailing, which is mostly online, grew by 3.4% over the month.
Danni Hewson, head of financial analysis at AJ Bell, said the weather played its part here, pushing people away from the high street and onto their laptops.
“New year health goals also sent many of us who overindulged during the festive period on the hunt for sports supplements as we pushed our bodies back into exercise mode.”
Hewson said news headlines about record gold and silver prices also helped lift sales for online jewellers in particular, she said.
Hewson said January sales also “tempted many people to splash out on furniture bargains.
But Hewson cautioned that the monthly rise should be taken with “a big pinch of salt”, citing ONS figures showing sales volumes grew by just 0.1% in the three months to January.
“It’s clear consumers are still under pressure and still making complicated decisions about where to spend every penny,” she said.
