Monthly retail sales inch 0.1% higher in January

The volume of retail sales rose slightly in January, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office.

On a monthly basis, retail sales rose by 0.1% while they were up 3% compared to last year.

The biggest monthly increases in volume were in furniture and lighting, up 28%, and clothing and footwear, up 26.5%. Bars were down 20.4% while department stores were down 5%.

On an annual basis, the volume of sales in bars was up 20.2% but the CSO cautions that this is from a low base in January 2021 when some Covid restrictions were in place.

The volume of sales in bars is still down almost 30% compared to pre-Covid sales in February 2019.

Meanwhile, sales of furniture and lighting were up 13% on an annual basis, while fuel was up 7.7%.

When motor trades are excluded, the volume of retail sales was 0.1% high in January compared to December and 0.3% higher compared to January 2022.

Online sales to Irish registered companies comprised 5.6% of retail sales last month, the same percentage as in January last year and lower compared to the 11% recorded in January 2021.

The value of retail sales was 0.2% lower in January compared to December but up 10.5% on an annual basis because of inflation.