Retail sales fell by 3.1% in September

Cate McCurry, PA

The volume of retail sales fell by 3.1 per cent in September and decreased by 7 per cent overall compared with the same period last year.

Figures from the Central Statistic Office (CSO) show two sectors – bars and pharmaceuticals – were the only ones to show an annual increase in the volume of sales last month.

Bar sales rose by 7.5 per cent on an annual basis while pharmaceuticals, medical and cosmetic articles jumped by 1.4 per cent.

The figures also show that despite this recovery over the previous year, bar sales remained 16 per cent lower than the pre-Covid-19 level in February 2020.

Volume of Retail Sales down 3.1% in September 2022https://t.co/vDtvWBOppL#CSOIreland #Ireland #RetailSales #Services #Retail #Business #BusinessStatistics #IrishBusiness pic.twitter.com/IwRkleittw

— Central Statistics Office Ireland (@CSOIreland) October 28, 2022

The figures also show that largest monthly volume decreases were in food, beverages and tobacco at a drop of 7.2 per cent, followed by clothing, footwear and textiles at 5.1 per cent, while department store sales dropped by 4.2 per cent in September.

The largest monthly volume increases were in books, newspapers and stationery at an increase of 5.3 per cent; furniture and lighting at a rise of 2.5 per cent, and hardware, paints and glass at 2.2 per cent.

The sectors which showed the largest annual decrease in sales included ‘other retail sales’, which dropped by 23.7 per cent.

Sales of food, beverages and tobacco fell over the past year by 13.3 per cent, car sales fell by 8.3 per cent, while clothing, footwear and textiles dropped by 7.5 per cent.

The proportion of retail sales transacted online, from Irish registered companies, rose marginally to 5.3 per cent in September 2022 from 4.8 per cent in August 2022, 4.6 per cent in September 2021, and 4.5 per cent in September 2020.

The value of retail sales in the fuel sector rose by 17.6 per cent in the year to September, while the corresponding volume fell by 3.9 per cent over the same period, reflecting higher prices compared with the previous year.

Meanwhile, the amount spent using credit and debit cards dropped by 7 per cent last month compared with August.

Figures published by the Central Bank on Friday show that all sectors experienced reductions in spending last month, with few exceptions.

It said that, most notably, education saw an increase of 67 per cent in comparison with August.

The volume card transactions was 10 per cent lower last month compared with August.

Total in-store spending amounted to €3.7 billion in September, representing a decrease of 12 per cent compared with the previous month and a 9 per cent or €312 million year-on-year increase.

The proportion of total spending carried out in-store was 52 per cent.

Total online expenditure decreased by 1 per cent to €3.4 billion, compared with the previous month and saw an increase of 16 per cent when compared with September 2021.