But Hewson cautioned that the monthly rise should be taken with “a big pinch of salt”, citing ONS figures showing sales volumes grew by just 0.1% in the three months to January, compared with the three months to October 2025.
“It’s clear consumers are still under pressure and still making complicated decisions about where to spend every penny,” she said.
Separate ONS data released this week put unemployment at a near five-year high at the end of last year, with wage growth also slowing to 4.2%.
Paul Dales, chief UK economist at Capital Economics, said the surge in sports supplement sales suggested that “the new year resolution health-kick has made the economy look more healthy”.
“But with employment growth weak and wage growth slowing, households won’t be able to maintain this rate of spending,” he added.