Retail sales fell seasonally in the month of December last year, the second consecutive monthly drop.
According to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), the volume of retail sales fell by 0.4% for the month, but grew by 3.7% on the year.
Excluding motor trades, sales rose by 0.7% seasonally adjusted, and 5.1% on the year.
Food, Beverages, and Tobacco was one of the largest monthly increases, growing by 3.7%. Annually adjusted, the category grew by 6.1%.
Value Sales
There was a decrease of 1.0% in the value of retail sales in December 2018 when compared with November 2018 and there was an annual increase of 2.3% when compared with December 2017.
If Motor Trades are excluded, there was an increase of 0.3% in the value of retail sales in the month and an increase of 3.5% in the annual figure.
The value of Food, Beverages, and Tobacco grew by 1.2% compared to November 2018, and by 3.4% annually adjusted.
© 2019 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Aidan O’Sullivan. Click subscribe to sign up for the Checkout print edition.
