Retail sales fell in August amid a plunge in car sales, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) said, even as pubs appeared to bounce back at the end of a difficult summer.
Provisional data from the CSO indicates retail sales volumes fell by 1.5 per cent in the month and 2.5 per cent in the 12 months to the end of August, while the value of retail sales declined by 1.6 per cent in the month and 2.2 per cent on the year.
Motor sales suffered the biggest monthly decline in August from July, falling 6 per cent and 4.9 per cent over the 12 months to the end of August.
Car retailers have flagged declining sales this year amid a slump in new electric vehicle registrations after the Government cut the SEAI grant incentive for motorists to buy zero-emissions vehicles in July 2023.
“When motor trades are excluded, the volume of retail sales declined by 0.5 per cent in the month and fell by 1.7 per cent in the year when compared with August 2023,” said CSO enterprise statistics division statistician Stephanie Kelleher.
Meanwhile, bar sales improved in the month, increasing 3.6 per cent from July after several months of decline. Bar sales were down 5.6 per cent on the year at the end of August, the CSO said.
Poor weather during the summer months coupled with evidence of a consumer pullback after two years of soaring inflation have been blamed for the fall in bar sales this year.
Furniture and lighting, up 2.2 per cent, followed by hardware, paints and glass, which were up 1.8 per cent, were the sectors with the biggest annual increase in sales volumes by the end of August, the CSO said.
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