Ireland retail sales fall in December after rise in November

Retail sales in Ireland declined both annually and monthly in December, provisional data published by the Central Statistics Office showed on Wednesday.

Retail sales fell 0.1% on-year in December, compared to the 2.5% growth the CSO had reported a month ago for November.

The best annual growth in retail sales was in motor trades, up 7.8%, followed by electrical goods, up 2.4%, and non-specialised stores including supermarkets, which were up 0.5%.

The worst annual declines in December were in books, newspaper and stationery, which fell 9.4%, followed by clothing, footwear and textiles, which were 4.4% lower, and hardware, paints and glass, which fell 3.4%.

On a monthly basis, Irish retail sales fell 0.4% in December after a 0.5% rise in November.

The strongest monthly rise was in motor trades, up 2.5%, followed by electrical goods, up 2.0%, food, beverages and tobacco at specialised stores which climbed 1.7% and clothing, footwear and textiles, up 1.6%.

The worst monthly declines in December were books, newspaper & stationery, down 9.0%, followed by fuel, down 2.6%; hardware, paints and glass, down 2.5%; bar, down 2.1%; and other retail sales, down 1.3%.

Copyright 2026 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.