Retail sales rose by almost 9 per cent in August compared with the same month in 1996. However, the August retail sales index was 0.9 per cent lower than the July index, on a seasonallyadjusted basis.

On a three-month basis, the largest increase in the volume of sales was in the "other non-food" sector. The biggest fall in volume was in footwear which fell by 1.4 per cent.