Retail sales volumes rose on a monthly basis for the second month in a row in February, increasing by 0.7% to stand 3.6% higher than the same time a year ago, new Central Statistics Office figures show today.
The largest monthly volume increases were recorded in bars, with sales there up 4.7%.
Sales of hardware, paints and glass rose by 2.5% and motor trades increased by 1.7%.
Excluding motor sales, sales volumes were up 0.5% in the year, the CSO said.
After annual inflation unexpectedly rose to 8.5% last month, the value of retail sales were 1.8% higher last month than in January and 11.1% higher year-on-year.
Today's CSO figures show that on an annual basis, the biggest volume increase was in Bar sales which grew by 12.8%.
But the CSO said that caution should be exercised as these figures compare with a low base from the previous year when Covid restrictions were still in place in the hospitality sector.
Despite the increase, bar sales remained 15.2% lower than their pre-Covid-19 level in February 2020, the CSO said.
Other sectors to show large volume increases were Motor Trades, which increased by 9.1%, while Clothing, Footwear & Textiles sales rose by 6% and Fuel sales were up 4.1%.
Meanwhile, the largest annual volume decreases were recorded in Other Retail Sales, which fell by 13.2%. These include the likes of carpets, games and toys, flowers, fertilisers, pet food and jewellery.
Sales in Department Stores decreased by 8.7%, and Food, Beverages & Tobacco (Specialised Stores) were down 7%, the CSO said.
Today's figures also show that the proportion of Retail Sales transacted online from Irish registered companies stood at 5.3% in February 2023 compared with 5.4% in January 2023, 4.5% in February 2022 and 11.8% in February 2021.
