New figures from the Central Statistics Office figures show that retail sales rose by 1.1% on a monthly basis in December and by 0.8% year-on-year.
The CSO said the value of retail sales rose by 1.1% in the month and was up by 0.3% in the 12 months to December.
Today’s figures show the sectors with the biggest monthly volume increases were car sales, which rose by 6.3%, while clothing, footwear and textiles sales increased by 2.9% and sales of pharmaceuticals, medical and cosmetic articles were up 2.1%.
The largest monthly volume decreases were recorded in fuel sales, which slowed by 3%, while furniture and lighting sales were down 1.2%, and sales in bars fell by 1.1%.
On an annual basis, the CSO said the sectors with the highest annual volume growth in December were clothing, footwear and textiles, which jumped by 8.8%. Sales of food, beverages and tobacco in specialised stores were up 6.8%, while sales in department stores increased by 6.4% and sales of hardware, paints and glass grew by 3.8%.
The CSO said that annual volume declines were recorded in fuel, with sales there down 7.8%, while bar sales eased by 4.6% and sales of books, newspapers and stationery slipped by 0.3%.
Meanwhile, the proportion of retail sales transacted online – from Irish registered companies – stood at 6% in both December 2024 and November 2024. That compares with a rate of 5.4% in December 2023.
