The pound was slightly higher against the U.S. dollar on Thursday, after data showed that
U.K. retail sales rose in line with expectations in August.
Earlier, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that UK retail sales volume rose by 0.2% in August, helped by sales of clothing, particularly school uniforms.
GBP/USD hit 1.5526 during European morning trade, the session high; the pair subsequently consolidated at 1.5514, higher 0.15%.
After a couple of months of sluggish growth, the figures indicated sales rose 3.7% compared with last year.
School uniforms boosted sales for small stores, while "the growth in large stores was coming from online", the ONS said.
Wage rises combined with low inflation have helped drive consumer spending.
Sales of textiles, clothing and footwear rose 2.3% in August, the biggest rise since April. The same sector was up 1.9% compared with last year.
Sales volumes at food stores dropped 0.9% in August, posing the biggest drag on overall retail sales figures, but they were up 0.8% from a year ago.
Retailers said the fall in food sales in August mirrored large numbers of people leaving the country for holidays, even after seasonal adjustments had been factored in.
