• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, May 5, 2011

The late Easter holiday sent consumers shopping after all, with the nation's biggest retailers turning in solid gains for April. And some were downright stellar: Limited Brands says its comparable store-sales gained 20% for the month, with the new Dream Angles lingerie launch driving sales up 25% at its Victoria's Secret division. A few teen retailers also stood out, with sales climbing 17.5% at Zumiez and 14.5% at The Buckle.

Despite steadily rising gas prices, sales gains held steady across most categories, with Kantar Retail reporting an 8.7% gain in its composite index, which tracks 27 large retailers. Last month the index gained 2.5%, and in April of last year, it gained just 1.2%. For the combined March-April period--an important time frame because of the shift of the Easter holiday--same-store sales rose 5.4% this year, compared to 5.7% in the same two-month period last year.