Retail stores under strain

Retail sales increased strongly in both money and value terms in July as motor sales surged, but many other businesses are still struggling and selling much less than before the crash.

Retail sales are increasingly under the spotlight as consumer demand is expected to take the strain of driving the economic recovery at a time Irish exports face tougher challenges following the UK’s decision to quit the EU.

CSO figures showed that measured by value and volume, retail sales rose 3.9% and 6.3% from July 2015 — with sales of motor cars surging in the year because of the July registrations.