Retail sales volumes rose 0.5% in April after a 1.2% fall in March. The sales volumes over the three months to April grew by the most since mid-2021, as per an official report.
The broader retail sector added 0.2%, led by shares of ASOS Plc.
The pound added 0.1% after the data.
The blue-chip FTSE 100 rose 0.5%, but was set to record its worst week in over a month as an unexpected rise in domestic inflation and U.S. debt ceiling uncertainties strained sentiment.
Rio Tinto jumped 3.6% after brokerage Morgan Stanley turned bullish on the miner.
AstraZeneca Plc added 0.9% after the drugmaker said a combination of its cancer drugs when added to chemotherapy showed positive results in a late-stage trial in patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer.
The FTSE 250 also added 0.1% by 7:10 GMT.
(Reporting by Johann M Cherian in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)