New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that the volume of retail sales increased by 3.8% in April on a monthly basis and by 6.1% on an annual basis.
The CSO said that several sectors showed very large annual increases in the volume of sales compared with April last year, when a full lockdown of non-essential retail and services was in force due to Covid-19.
Bars jumped by 531% in April this year compared with the same time last year, but despite the large recovery bar sales are still 24.4% lower than their pre-Covid-19 level in February 2020.
Other sectors showing large annual increases were the clothing and footwear sector, with sales soaring by 282%, while Department Stores sales jumped 117%, reflecting a recovery from a very low base in April last year.
On a monthly basis, the CSO said the largest volume increases in sales in April were seen in the motor trade, with sales up 33%, while bar sales rose by 23.7% and clothing and footwear sales increased by 13.6%.
The largest decreases in the volume of sales were recorded in Department Stores, which fell by 42.5%, while furniture and lighting sales were down 8.8%.
The CSO said that compared to February 2020 (26 months earlier and pre-COVID-19), the volume of retail sales in April 2022 was 9.7% higher.
Today's figures show that the proportion of retail sales transacted online from Irish registered companies eased to 4.8% in April from 5% in March 2022. It was down from 10.1% in April 2021 and 15.3% in April 2020.
The CSO also noted that the value of sales in the fuel sector jumped by 30.4% in the year to April, while the volume rose by just 2.9% over the same period.
This reflected higher prices compared to the previous year as inflation continues to increase.
