Volume of sales was down 1.2% on a monthly basis, CSO figures show

Retail sales were 2.5 per cent higher in September than for the same month the previous year, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) said on Friday, driven by increases in furniture and hardware sales.

The volume of sales fell 1.2 per cent compared to August. When motor sales were excluded, the volume of sales fell 0.4 per cent in the month and was 1.7 per cent higher year-on-year, according to the latest data. September tends to be a weaker month for the retail sector than August, with a month-on-month drop recorded in seven of the past nine years.

The largest monthly volume decrease was recorded in the pharmaceuticals, medical and cosmetic articles category, where sales fell 6.1 per cent. Fuel sales were down 4.9 per cent, while clothing, footwear and textiles sales dropped 3.9 per cent compared to August as warm weather lingered into the first half of September.

Motor trade volumes dropped 3.1 per cent and the department stores saw sales volumes decline.

Source: irishtimes.com