Retail sales show modest rise for July

RETAIL sales picked up slightly last month but shoppers are putting off big purchases, with sales of furniture, lighting and electrical goods all seeing big falls.

Bar sales were up 3.3% month-on-month despite the poor weather. For the full-year, however, bar sales are down 0.4%, according to the latest retail sales figures from the Central Statistics Office.

Overall, the volume of retail sales fell 0.5% in July to stand 0.6% lower for the year. Excluding car sales, however, the volume of retail sales fell 2.3% in July from a year ago. Economists expect retail sales to fall 1.2% this year, according to a Reuters poll.