Monthly retail sales slowed in September on the back of lower sales of books and newspapers, hardware and paints and fuel, new figures from the Central Statistics Office show today.
The CSO said the volume of retail sales was down 0.2% in September on a monthly basis, while it rose by 3.8% on an annual basis. This was the lowest increase so far this year.
When car sales are excluded, the CSO said that retail sales rose by 0.5% in September compared to August. There was an increase of 3.3% in the annual figure.
On a monthly basis, sales of books, newspapers and stationery fell by 14.6%, while sales of hardware, paints and glass decreased by 4.3% and fuel sales were down 2.3%.
However, sales of clothing, footwear and textiles rose by 8%, while bar sales increased by 2.8% and sales of electrical goods increased by 1.6%.
Today's figures also show that the value of retail sales fell by 0.4% in September on a monthly basis, while there was an annual increase of 1.9%.
When car sales are left out, there was a fall of 0.1% in the value of monthly retail sales and an annual increase of 1.3%.
Commenting on today's figures, Merrion economist Alan McQuaid said that the Brexit fall-out and the uncertain economic implications will likely impact negatively on Irish consumer sentiment, resulting in lower personal spending in the months ahead.
"Furthermore, anecdotal evidence suggests that the sharp fall in the pound is already enticing Irish shoppers to spend in Northern Ireland," the added.
The economist said that although retail sales remain erratic on a monthly basis, the underlying trend is still positive.
"While most attention was on cars last year and will be again in 2016, personal spending in other areas has generally picked up over the past 12 months and is becoming more broad-based," he said.
