Falling prices in the UK have encouraged consumers to spend.
The largest discounts in more than a decade have lured shoppers who had put off buying during the warm autumn weather.
September sales dropped by 0.4% but grew in October by 0.8%, according to the Office for National Statistics.
On an annual basis, total sales rose 4.3% in October compared with the previous October, the ONS said. This was above expectation and offered relief to retailers.
Prices were down by 1.5% in October, the deepest drop since December 2002. Petrol fell by more than 4%, making prices the lowest they have been since the end of 2010.
Supermarket price wars have driven down food prices for the second month in a row.
The country’s lively housing market helped drive up sales of large household items, such as furniture and electrical goods.
