Provisional figures published this morning estimate that the volume of retail sales increased by 2.6% during March.
Compared to March of last year, the volume of sales was up by 3.6%.
However, the figures were skewed by a significant rise in the volume of motor trade sales, which are up 22% year-on-year.
If vehicle sales are excluded, the volume of retail sales only increased by 0.6% in March, and actually fell by 1.2% when compared to March of last year.
The CSO says that most sectors showed an increase in the volume of sales, when compared to the same month last year.
The overall value of retail sales increased by 2.2% in March compared to February, but fell 1.6% when compared to March of 2009.
When motor sales are removed, however, the annual decrease in the value of retail sales was higher at 5.3%.
