Retail sales volumes fell by 0.1% on an annual basis in December, the first annual decline in nine months and a dramatic drop from revised annual growth of 2.1% the previous month, new figures from the Central Statistics Office show today.
The CSO said that retail sales were 0.4% lower in December than November, and 0.8% lower if car trades are excluded.
Today's figures show that the value of retail sales was down 0.2% in the month and rose by 1.5% in the 12 months to December 2025.
Today's figures show that the highest annual volume declines were recorded in books, newspapers and stationery which fell by 9.4%, while clothing, footwear and textiles sales slowed by 4.4% and hardware, paints and glass were down 3.4%.
Sectors showing annual volume increases were motor trades, which rose by 7.8%, while sales of electrical goods were up 2.4%, and non-specialised stores (including supermarkets) rose by 0.5%.
Today's figures show the sectors with the biggest monthly volume decreases were books, newspapers and stationery, which dropped 9%, while fuel sales were down 2.6%. Sales of hardware, paints and glass were down 2.5%, bars sales fell 2.1%, and other retail sales were down 1.3%.
The largest monthly volume increases were recorded in car sales which rose by 2.5%, while sales of electrical goods moved 2% higher.
