The volume of Irish retail sales grew by 2.5 per cent in April this year compared to April 2003, figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) today show.
However, if motor sales are excluded the annual increase was 0.6 per cent, and there was no monthly change.
Compared to the previous month, retail sales volume showed a decline of 0.4 per cent while the value of retail sales also declined in the March to April period, dropping 0.2 per cent.
The value of retail sales rose by 3.2 per cent over the same period. Again, if vehicle trades are excluded, the annual increase was only 0.9 per cent.