Sales of food, drinks and tobacco increased 2.3% on the month in August, while fuel sales were up 1.7%. Sales of non-food items, however, declined 3% from the previous month. The data are adjusted for the number of working days and seasonal factors.
In annual terms, adjusted retail sales advanced 4.7% in August, boosted by higher demand in all sectors, INS data showed.
Food sales rose 8.7% on the year in August, while fuel and non-food sales increased 8.1% and 1.4% on the year, respectively.
In January through August, adjusted retail sales were up 4.4% compared with the year-earlier period.
In unadjusted data, retail sales increased 4.7% in August from a month earlier and were up 4.9% compared with the same period of 2011.