Consumers spent more on clothing, electrical goods and in department stores in September, new Central Statistics Office figures show. The volume of sales rose by 0.2 per cent in the month and was up by 3.5 per cent year on year.
Excluding volatile car sales, the monthly volume of retail sales was up by 0.6 per cent in September and grew by 1.7 per cent in the year when compared with September 2024.
Sectors showing the highest monthly increases in volume terms were department stores (6.5 per cent), clothing, footwear and textiles (3.6 per cent) and electrical goods (2.6 per cent).
Conversely there were decreases in food, beverages and tobacco (-2.6 per cent), fuel (-1.1 per cent) and in non-specialised stores, which includes supermarkets (-0.5 per cent).
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The proportion of retail sales transacted online (from Irish registered companies) was 5 per cent in September. This figure, however, excludes sales transacted via Amazon and other big online retailers.
The Irish economy is expected to grow this year and next with consumers benefiting from a bounce in real wages as income growth outstrips inflation.
“Relatively modest inflation in the first half of the year has helped support solid growth in real incomes which, in turn, has underpinned the continued expansion of consumer spending,” the Department of Finance said recently.
“High frequency data such as card payments point to further momentum in the third quarter,” it said. “Against this backdrop, consumer spending is projected to increase by 2.9 per cent this year.”
The CSO figures showed the highest growth by volume compared to the same time last year was recorded in motor trades (+8.8 per cent), hardware, paints and glass (+8.5 per cent) and in other retail sales (+5.7 per cent).
Sectors showing the largest annual volume falls were food, beverages and tobacco (-9.7 per cent), furniture and lighting (-3.1 per cent) and fuel (-2.7 per cent).
