Retail sales fell by 0.9% on a monthly basis in March and declined by 1.3% year-on-year, new figures from the Central Statistics Office show today.
The CSO added that the value of retail sales fell by 0.8% in the month and declined by 1.1% in the 12 months to March.
Today's figures show the sectors with the biggest monthly decreases were Department Stores, with sales down 3.8%, while sales of Pharmaceuticals, Medical & Cosmetic Articles fell by 3.3% and Bars sales slowed by 2.3%.
The largest monthly volume increases were recorded in the Hardware, Paints & Glass sector, with sales there jumping by 10.9%, while car sales were up 1%.
On an annual basis, sales in Bars were down 9.9%, while Fuel sales decreased by 3.1% and sales of Books, Newspapers & Stationery fell by 1.8%.
The highest annual volume growth was seen in the Hardware, Paints & Glass sector, which rose by 7.8%, while Clothing, Footwear & Textiles sales increased by 6.7%.
Sales of Food, Beverages & Tobacco in Specialised Stores were up 4.3% on an annual basis in March and Furniture & Lighting sales rose by 3.8%, the CSO added.
Meanwhile, the proportion of Retail Sales transacted online (from Irish registered companies) stood at 4.9% in March. This compared to 4.8% in February and 5.1% in March of last year.
