New figures from the Central Statistics Office shows that retail sales rose by 0.5% on a monthly basis in November but fell by 1% year-on-year.
The CSO said the value of retail sales rose by 0.3% in the month and fell by 1.5% in the 12 months to November.
Today's figures show the sectors with the biggest monthly volume increases were Other Retail Sales - which includes the likes of carpets, games and toys, flowers, plants, seeds, fertilisers, pet food as well as jewellery - which rose by 3.3%.
Sales in non-specialised Stores (including supermarkets) rose by 2.5%, while sales in bars were up 1.4%, sales of electrical goods grew by 1.3% and car sales were up 0.1%.
The largest monthly volume decreases were recorded in books, newspapers and stationery, which fell by 3.7%, while sales of clothing, footwear and textiles were down 1.6%.
Sales of pharmaceuticals, medical and cosmetic articles slowed by 1.2%, and hardware, paints and glass sales were 1.2% lower.
Meanwhile, on an annual basis, car sales slowed by 8.7%, while bars sales were down 1.3%. Sales of books, newspapers and stationery eased by 1.3% and sales of pharmaceuticals, medical and cosmetic articles were down 1.3%.
Sectors showing the highest annual volume growth in November were Department Stores, with sales there jumping by 10%. Other Retail Sales were up 7.5%, while furniture and lighting sales grew by 5.6% and sales of food, beverages and tobacco in specialised stores were up 4.6%.
Today's CSO figures also show that the proportion of online retail sales transacted rose to 5.9% in November, compared with 5% in October 2024 and 5.7% in November of last year.
