The value of retail sales rose by 4.2% in June compared with the same month last year, according to the Central Statistics Office. The rise is 12.2%, however, if motor sales are excluded.
The figure for the year to May was 4.5% and the trend has been downward since the 20% figures recorded in the middle of last year.
The volume of sales, which excludes price effects, increased by 1.1% in the 12 months to June, though this goes up to 8.2% if motor sales are excluded.
On a three-month basis, the April-June quarter shows a 0.8% increase compared with the previous three months.
* Separate CSO figures showed that industrial turnover in transportable goods industries increased by 11.4% in June compared with the same month last year. The sharpest increase was in medical, precision and optical instruments, where turnover rose by nearly 38% in the period.
