The figures compare with a weak April last year, when sales dropped 4.7 per cent partly because of the Easter weekend falling in March.
Combined sales during March and April this year were up 2.2 per cent like for like and total sales increased by 5.3 per cent.
BRC director-general Kevin Hawkins said: 'While any uplift in sales is welcome, the distortion arising from the timing of Easter and the weather underlines the need for caution in interpreting these figures. Discounting has also played a big part in these results. We need to see the figures for this month, which will be directly comparable with last May, before forming any tentative conclusion about the underlying trend.'
Warmer weather and Easter helped to boost the food and drink sector. DIY and gardening sales were also up, although underlying trade remains difficult.
Clothing did better than last month, with menswear posting the biggest increase. In womenswear, the middle-market brands lost out to designer and value labels. Footwear sales picked up, but are still down on last year.
Furniture and carpet sales were up, but this is thought to be largely discount-driven.
Seymour Pierce analyst Richard Ratner said: 'Overall, it's perhaps a bit better than expected, but one must remember that we are comparing an Easter month with a non-Easter month in the previous year. The BRC seems to be very unenthusiastic about the pick-up and despite the overall figure being up, it is difficult to see much joy in any of the sectors other than food and drink. We remain cautious about the outlook for the rest of the year.'
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