Monthly retail sales rise by 1.1% in April – CSO
New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that the volume of retail sales rose by 1.1% in April compared to March, while retail sales were 3% higher on an annual basis compared to April 2024.
Today’s CSO figures also reveal that the value of retail sales increased by 1.3% in April from March and was up by 3.5% when compared with April of last year.
The CSO said the sectors with the biggest monthly increases were Department Stores, with sales in that sector up by 6.4%, while sales of Books, Newspapers & Stationery increased by 2%.
Furniture & Lighting sales rose by 1.5% in April compared to March, while Food, Beverages & Tobacco sales in specialised stores grew by 1.3%, and Bars sales edged 0.3% higher.
The biggest monthly volume decreases were recorded in Clothing, Footwear & Textiles sales, which eased by 1.4%, while Other Retail Sales (which includes the likes of carpets, games and toys, flowers, fertilisers, pet food and jewellery) and Electrical Goods sales were both 1.1% lower.
On an annual basis, the CSO said the largest annual volume growth was recorded in the Hardware, Paints & Glass sector, with a 7.7% jump. Sales of Furniture & Lighting were up 6.7%, while sales of Food, Beverages & Tobacco in specialised stores rose by 6.5%.
Sales of Pharmaceuticals, Medical & Cosmetic Articles grew by 4.4%, and Books, Newspapers & Stationery sales were up 3.6% compared to April 2024.
The CSO added that the biggest annual declines were seen in Department Stores, with sales dropping by 5.6%, while sales in Bars fell by 4.7% and sales of Electrical Goods were down 3.9%.
Meanwhile, the proportion of retail sales transacted online (from Irish registered companies) stood at 5% in April 2025, up from the level of 4.8% in March and down from 5.6% in April last year.
Article Source – Monthly retail sales rise by 1.1% in April – CSO – RTE