UK retail sales jumped in February as plans to ease lockdown drove purchases of school uniforms, computers and household goods.
The British Retail Consortium said like-for-like sales were up 9.5% year-on-year during the month, following a tough January.
Valentine's Day also boosted the figures as locked-down couples splashed out at local supermarkets.
But the BRC warned the coming months would be challenging.
"Many retail businesses will be hoping that customers will return to shops, and have spent hundreds of millions on making their premises Covid-secure, but previous reopenings have shown that demand can be slow to come back," said BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson OBE.
According to the Office for National Statistics, retail sales were 5.5% lower in January than they were before the pandemic began as swathes of shops remained shut due to Covid restrictions.
Retail sales slump in January amid lockdown
But the BRC said the prime minister's roadmap to reopening the economy, published on 22 February, had prompted a "burst in spending" last month.
Its indicative figures suggest sales of non-food items jumped by 82% online during the month, although they fell sharply in stores due to closures.
Demand for technology, furniture and home accessories climbed, while sales of school uniforms rose as parents prepared to send their children back to school. pg slot
Food sales also continued to grow as supermarkets and grocers picked up business from non-essential shops that remained shut. Sales were up 7.6% in the three months to February.