Official figures show that there was a slight pick-up in consumer spending in October after weaker figures in September.
The Central Statistics Office said the volume of retail sales rose by 0.5% compared with September, which meant an annual increase of 2%, the best figure since May.
Excluding motor sales, the volume of sales crept up 0.1% from September, but was still down 0.5% compared with October last year. Economists watch these figures closely as motor sales have been boosted this year due to the car scrappage scheme.
A breakdown showed that motor sales rose by 3.3% in the month, while sales of hardware, paints and glass also increased by 3.3%. Bar sales also picked up by 1.3%, though they are still down 5.9% over the previous 12 months. But furniture and lighting sales dropped 6% in October, while sales of electrical goods were down 3.8%.
Overall, the value of retail sales, which takes prices into account, rose by 0.7% from September, but was down 0.1% over 12 months.
