Sales at Bluewater rose by 8% in May compared with the same time last year thanks to a good month for clothing retailers.

New store openings from brands like Victoria’s Secret and Pink, plus Topshop’s expansion, helped the strong performance, with a 12% increase in clothing sales.

Bluewater owners Land Lease reported sportswear was up 23% compared with May 2013, thanks in part to the opening of Europe’s first Adidas HomeCourt store earlier this year.

Catering brands saw sales rise 11%, following the opening of the Five Guys restaurant in April.

It comes as the British Retail Consortium and KPMG report like-for-like sales in May rose 0.5% nationally.

Bluewater general manager Robert Goodman said: “The affect of new additions to Bluewater’s offer, such as Victoria’s Secret, Pink, Adidas HomeCourt and Five Guys, is evident.

“These new brands, which join the 37 that opened or upsized at Bluewater last year, create additional reasons to visit for guests.”

He added: “Looking ahead to the summer, we are already seeing a boost to sales as a consequence of the World Cup, Wimbledon and the Tour de France, with many guests purchasing large format televisions ahead of a summer of sport.

“This is matched by strong sales of summer fashion as guests prepare for their annual holidays.”