28th Mar 2025 11:26
(Alliance News) - Ireland's retail sales volumes increased in February with both monthly and annual growth, provisional figures from the Central Statistics Office showed on Friday.
The volume of retail sales rose by 0.7% in February from the previous month on a seasonally adjusted basis. Compared to February 2024, volumes were up 1.8%.
Excluding motor trades, sales volumes increased by 1.2% on the month and by 1.6% annually.
The value of retail sales rose by 0.9% on a monthly basis and was 1.6% higher than a year earlier. Excluding motor trades, the value rose 1.6% on-month and 1.8% on-year.
The largest monthly volume increases were recorded in Pharmaceuticals, Medical & Cosmetic Articles, which rose by 11%, and Department Stores, which rose by 8.2%. Other Retail Sales and Fuel also saw increases of 2.2% and 2.0%, respectively.
Declines were recorded in Motor Trades, down 4.6%, Hardware, Paints & Glass, down 3.0%, Furniture & Lighting, down 0.7%, and Bars, down 0.4%.
On an annual basis, volume growth was strongest in Other Retail Sales, up 5.2%, followed by Clothing, Footwear & Textiles at 4.9%, Pharmaceuticals, Medical & Cosmetic Articles at 4.8%, and Department Stores at 4.4%.
The largest annual declines were seen in Electrical Goods, which fell by 9.6%, and Bars, down 6.1%.
Online sales accounted for 5.0% of total retail turnover in February, unchanged from a year earlier. Excluding motor trades, the proportion was 6.6%, up slightly from 6.5% a year ago.
By Eva Castanedo, Alliance News reporter
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