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According to its distributive trades survey, the figure climbed to three per cent, up from -44 per cent in March.
This is the highest reading recorded since January 2008, but many of the retailers questioned by the body expect the number to fall again next month.
Sales volumes rose at 44 per cent of retailers that responded to the survey, with 41 per cent seeing a decline and the statistic is expected to decline to -15 per cent in May.
"The good turnout by shoppers over this year's later Easter may well have influenced the April retail figures," Andy Clarke, chairman of the CBI Distributive Trades Panel, noted.
Consumers are still "very wary" due to the present financial troubles, he added.
According to data released by the Office for National Statistics earlier this month, the UK economy recently saw its largest contraction since 1979.
