The volume of Irish retail sales was down 4.7% in August compared to the previous month, with the Central Statistics Office (CSO) citing declining new car registrations as the reason behind the end-of-summer slump.
There was also a 3.7% drop in the value of those sales, according to the CSO's latest Seasonally Adjusted Retail Sales Index.
The volume of motor trades slowed by over 11% after a big spike in July. If this is excluded, retail sales actually saw a slight increase of 0.9% in the month.
Bar trade and department stores also took sales hits for the month.
On an annual basis, retail sales rose 5.2%.
The furniture and lighting sectors enjoyed a boost, up 8.8% compared to July. Home improvement appeared to be on the agenda for many in August, with sales of hardware, paints and glass up 4.6% over July's figures. 'Other retail sales' also climbed 5.1%.