The volume of retail sales year-on-year fell by 2.2 per cent in May, figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) today show.
There was a monthly decrease of 5.2 per cent.
If motor trades are excluded from the figures, the annual decrease was 0.1 per cent, and there was a monthly decrease of 5 per cent.
The value of retail sales increased by 0.1 per cent in May this year compared to May 2002 and decreased by 5.7 per cent in the month.
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On a three-month basis, which gives a more stable indication of recent underlying trends, March-May 2003 volume figures show a 1.4 per cent decrease compared with the three months ending February 2003.