New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that retail sales fell by 1.2% on a monthly basis in April to stand 0.9% lower than a year earlier.
The CSO said that excluding volatile car sales, retail sales volumes were 0.1% higher on the month and 0.2% up year-on-year.
Today’s CSO figures show that the largest monthly volume decreases were recorded in Department Stores, with sales there down by 5.5%. Sales of books, newspapers and stationery fell by 5.1%, while fuel sales were down 4% and bar sales slowed by 2.5%.
But three sectors showed monthly volume increases. Sales of clothing, footwear and textiles jumped by 17.3%, while sales of hardware, paints and glass rose by 2.5% and furniture and lighting sales were up 0.9%.
On an annual basis, the CSO said the biggest volume declines in April were seen in sales of food, beverages and tobacco in specialised stores, which dropped by 7.9%. Sales of books, newspapers and stationery decreased by 7.3%, while Department Stores sales slowed by 6.3%, bar sales were down 6% and fuel sales dipped 4.5%.
Sectors showing the highest annual volume growth in April were clothing, footwear and textiles, which rose by 8.5%, while electrical goods sales were up 6.1% and furniture and lighting sales increased by 4.7%, the CSO added.
Today’s figures also reveal that the value of retail sales in April rose by 4.1% in the month, while the value was 2.1% higher compared to the same time last year.
The CSO said the proportion of retail sales transacted online (from Irish registered companies) was 5.3% in April compared with 5.1% both in the previous month and the same time last year.
Article Source – Retail sales dip by 1.2% in April from March – CSO – RTE
