London has bucked the high street gloom reporting April sales up 2.7 per cent on the previous year, compared with a 1.5 per cent fall nationally.

Central London gave retailers a much-needed boost, although the increase is below the 4.5 per cent rise in April last year, when Easter boosted sales.

British Retail Consortium director-general Stephen Robertson said: “London retailers continued to weather the tough economic climate better than the rest of the UK as a whole, with upmarket fashion accessories, fragrances and skincare doing well.

“Despite colder and wetter weather, shopper numbers were up slightly. Retailers in the capital will work hard to continue delivering value, especially as household incomes get squeezed.”

The London Retail Consortium said food sales showed some improvement, but clothing and footwear sales remained difficult, despite discounting. Furniture and homewares – especially big-ticket items – continued to struggle as consumers face increasing demands on their household budgets.

KPMG head of retail Helen Dickinson said: “This is confirmation of the trend seen last month, as central London’s retailers managed to squeeze out marginal like-for-like sales growth in contrast to the rest of the UK, where like-for-like sales fell 1.5 per cent in April. The ongoing challenges to the sector continue, with a tough economic backdrop highlighting the fragile level of consumer confidence.”