Soaring car sales behind July retail rise

Retail sales received a boost from the motor sector last month as volumes increased by more than 8%.

Statistics released by the CSO yesterday show that motor sales jumped by 36% in July compared with the previous month as new 142 registration plates gave sales volumes an expected bump.

When the performance of the motor industry is removed, the overall picture is less positive as core sales fell 0.7% month-on-month.