At end of trading, the FTSE 100 index was up 90.93 points at 6,581.63.
AB Foods rose 5.08%, after it said it was on track to meet full-year profit forecasts.
The company also said it planned to open a Primark store in Italy next year, which would be the 10th European market the chain has reached.
The British company Supergroup, which is behind the Superdry fashion brand, closed 7.74% up after reporting a 2% rise in full-year profits and signing a deal to take its clothes into China.
Shares in Barratt Developments rose 4.37% after it said full-year profits were better than expected.
The housebuilder also said the cut in tax relief for buy-to-let investors announced on Wednesday's Budget was unlikely to affect the housing market.
However, shares in supermarkets and retailers came under pressure as investors feared these would be hit by the new national living wage announced in the Budget. Sainsbury's shares fell 0.39%.
In the FTSE 250, shares in Balfour Beatty fell 3.59% after the engineering group issued another profit warning.
It said its 2015 results would be hit by a "shortfall" of £120m-£150m after a review of its businesses had continued to "identify legacy issues" in the UK, US and Middle East.
On the currency markets, the pound rose 0.6% against the euro to €1.3953 and was 0.07% higher against the dollar at $1.5371.
(Closed): The FTSE 100 closed 1.4% higher thanks to upbeat trading news from Primark owner AB Foods, Supergroup and housebuilder Barratt Developments.