Bar trade and department stores see drop in trade
The volume of retail sales in July decreased by 0.8% in the month and increased by 5.9% in the 12 months from July 2022, CSO figures show.
When motor trades are excluded, the volume of retail sales fell by 4.0% in the month and rose by just 0.3% in the year when compared with July 2022.
The largest monthly volume decreases were in:
- Bars (-5.5%),
- Food, beverages and tobacco (specialised stores) (-4.3%),
- Non-specialised stores (including supermarkets) (-3.5%),
- Hardware, paints and glass (-3.5%), and
- Books, newspapers and stationery (-3.3%).
Declines
Monthly volume increases were recorded in other retail sales (+1.1%) including:
- Furniture and lighting (+0.6%),
- Electrical goods (+0.5%), and
- Fuel (+0.4%).
The largest annual volume declines in July 2023 were in department stores (-11.7%), food, beverages and tobacco (-8.7%), electrical goods (-4.5%), and bars (-2.7%).