Official figures show that retail sales rose slightly in June, but the underlying trend was still weak.
The Central Statistics Office said the volume of sales in June rose by 1.1% compared with May, giving an annual increase of 0.2%.
But the figures were boosted by strong sales on the motor industry in the final month of the scrappage scheme. Motor sales climbed by 4.8% from May. When the motor sector was excluded, sales fell 0.1% in the month and were down 4.2% over a year.
Provisional figures for the second quarter of this year show that the volume of sales was down 1.7% compared with the second quarter of last year, though sales were up 1.8% from the first quarter.
A breakdown of the June figures from the CSO showed that sales at department stores rose by 3% in the month, while sales off furniture and lighting were up 2.4%. Clothing sales rose by 3%, while bar sales moved up 1.6%, though they are still almost 6% down from a year earlier.
The value of sales, which takes prices into account, increased by 0.7% in the month, giving an annual rise of 0.4%.
