New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that the volume of retail sales increased by 5.5% in August compared to the same time last year. There was a monthly increase of 1.6%.
The CSO says that if motor trades are excluded, the annual increase is 7.3% and the monthly increase was 0.8%.
The figures also show that the value of retail sales increased by 7.2% in August compared to the same time last year and were up 1.7% in the month. If motor trades are left out, the annual increase was 8.4% and the monthly change was 0.9%.
The CSO says that in the three months from May to July, the largest increase in the volume of sales was witnessed in the hardware, paints and glass sector, with sales there up 6.3%. The largest decrease in sales for the three month period was in the motor trade, where sales fell by 8.5%.
