Irish retail sales have risen this year, Fashion Network have reported
Irish retail sales posted annual growth of 4.3 percent in May and were 0.1 percent higher month-on-month, the Central Statistics Office said on Wednesday.
Seasonally adjusted, the volume of retail sales increased by 0.1 per cent in the month of May.
Excluding cars, there was an increase of 1.5 per cent in the volume of retail sales compared with April, outpaced by an increase of 4.7 per cent annually.
Hardware, paints and glass increased the most, up 8.9 per cent, followed by books, newspapers and stationery, up 4.3 per cent.
Department stores sales were up 6.4 per cent and non-specialised stores (including supermarkets) sales increased by 4.8 per cent.
The sectors with the largest month-on-month volume decreases were furniture and lighting, down 4.7 per cent, and bars, down 2.9 per cent.
There was a decrease of 0.4 per cent in the value of retail sales in May when compared with April and there was an annual increase of 3.7 per cent when compared with May 2017.
Excluding cars, there was an increase of 1.4 per cent in the month and an increase of 3.5 per cent in the annual figure.
Analysts told the Irish Times that Irish consumer spending is expected to hit a record 3.2 per cent growth in 2018, after the 1.9 per cent rise in 2017. A 3 per cent growth is expected for 2019.
