The volume of retail sales increased by 5.9% in the 12 months to July, new figures from the Central Statistics Office show.
On a monthly basis, sales volumes dropped by 0.8% when compared to June.
When motor trades are excluded, the volume of retail sales fell by 4% in the month, and rose by just 0.3% in the year when compared with July 2022.
Sales increased in volume terms across five sectors on an annual basis in July – motor trades, fuel, furniture and lighting, books, newspapers and stationery, and the category know as ‘other retail sales’.
‘Other retail sales’ include items such as carpets, music and video recordings, games and toys, flowers, plants, seeds, fertilisers, pet food and jewellery.
The figures show that ‘other retail sales’ were up over 30%, motor trades up 15%, fuel up 6%, furniture and lighting up over 5% and books, newspapers and stationary up 4.5%.
Sales in department stores saw the largest volume drop on an annual basis, down almost 12% in July.
This was followed by the food, beverage and tobacco sector, which saw sales fall 9% and electrical goods which recorded a 4.5% drop.
Meanwhile, the value of retail sales fell by 0.3% in the month and rose by 8.6% in the 12 months to July.
Article Source: Annual retail sales up 5.9% in July, CSO figures show – Gill Stedman – RTE