Retail sales rise 3.5% in August helped by full reopening of pubs  

Retail sales in August were almost 15% higher than the index measure in August 2019 suggesting households who had built up savings are spending

In value terms, retail sales rose 4.2% in August from July and were 9.2% above the level of August 2020. File picture

The volume of retail sales grew by 3.5% in August from July, boosted by the reopening of bars, and have surged beyond pre-pandemic levels set two years earlier, in figures that will reassure the Government that households are spending and the recovery is on track as it prepares for its budget in October.        

A range of retailers, including books and stationers, bars and department stores, as well as motor trades, posted significant increases in the volume of sales in the month, according to the CSO figures.