Retail sales rose by 0.2% in July from the previous month, the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office show.
However, sales are down 15% in July compared to the same time last year due mainly to the increase in new motor sales in July 2008 as a result of the introduction of the new VRT system.
The CSO says that when car sales are excluded, the volume of retail sales decreased by 6.2% in July 2009 compared to July 2008. The monthly change was a fall of 0.7%.
Breaking down the figures, they show that year on year car sales slumped 48.2%, clothing and footwear sales are down 9.4%, bar sales dropped 9.7% while household equipment fell by 17.1%.
The only sector showing year on year increases in sales was department stores, which saw sales inch 0.2% higher.
