The Central Statistics Office has released new data showing that retail sales experienced a slump in June due to a decrease in consumers buying clothing and footwear. The primary retail sales index decreased by 1.4 per cent for the month, and 1.8 per cent in comparison to June 2023. The most impacted sectors were textiles, footwear, and clothing, with nearly a 10 per cent drop on a monthly basis and a 6 per cent drop from 2023.
In comparison to May, sales of books and stationery decreased by 5.5 per cent and pub sales saw a 3.5 per cent drop. These declines were partially counterbalanced by a 5.3 per cent increase in hardware sales volume, and a 2 per cent growth in electrical goods.
The yearly figures revealed a decrease of 3.6 per cent in department store sales but a significant increase of almost 13 per cent in electrical goods. When motor trade was omitted, the retail sales volumes for June were down by 0.4 per cent and decreased by 2 per cent on the previous year’s data.
The value of retail sales also decreased on a monthly basis by 1.4 per cent, though annually there was a slight rise of 0.2 per cent. Excluding motor trade, these figures changed to a decline of 1.8 per cent in the month and a 0.7 per cent drop year on year.
In June, online sales from Irish registered firms constituted nearly 5 per cent of retail sales, totalling 4.9 per cent, a small increase from May’s 4.8 per cent but a decrease from 5.8 per cent a year earlier.