New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that retail sales fell by 0.6% month-on-month in May to stand 1% lower than a year earlier - the largest annual drop in over a year.
The CSO said that excluding volatile car sales, retail sales volumes were 0.3% lower on a monthly basis and 0.5% down on an annual basis.
Today's figures show that monthly volume decreases were recorded in the clothing, footwear and textiles sector, with sales down 6.4%. Motor trades slowed by 4.5% on a monthly basis in May, while other retail sales - which includes the likes of carpets, games and toys, flowers, plants, seeds, fertilisers, pet food as well as jewellery - fell by 3.8%.
Meanwhile, sales of hardware, paints and glass sales decreased by 2.4%, while furniture and lighting sales dimmed by 2.1% and electrical goods sales fell by 1.7%.
The largest monthly volume increases were bars, with sales in the sector jumping by 13.8%, while sales of books, newspapers and stationery rose by 7%, sales of pharmaceuticals, medical and cosmetic articles increased by 3% and Department Stores sales were up by 2.9%.
On an annual basis, the CSO said the biggest volume declines in May were seen in other retail sales, which dropped by 6.4%, while sales of hardware, paints and glass fell by 5.5%, Department Stores sales slowed by 4% and food, beverages and tobacco sales in specialised stores were down 3.9%.
The sectors showing the highest annual volume growth in May were books, newspapers and stationery, which rose by 8.1%, while sales of clothing, footwear and textiles increased by 4.9% and bar sales increased by 4.5%.
Meanwhile, the value of retail sales was 2% lower in May compared to April, but were up by 1.5% when compared with May of last year.
Today's figures also show that the proportion of retail sales transacted online, from Irish registered companies, stood at 4.9% in May, down from 5.6% in April and 5.2% in May last year.
