Irish Retail Sales Growth Hits 3-year High

(RTTNews) - Ireland's retail sales expanded at the quickest pace in three years in August, preliminary data from the Central Statistics Office showed on Wednesday.

The volume of retail sales rose 4.3 percent year-on-year in August, faster than the 2.7 increase in the previous month. Moreover, this was the strongest growth since August 2023, when sales grew 5.5 percent.

The largest annual volume of increase was recorded at department stores, where sales advanced 9.0 percent, followed by 7.0 percent more sales in motor trades. Clothing and footwear sales also logged a strong increase of 6.8 percent.

Excluding motor trade, the annual retail sales growth was 3.0 percent in August.

On a monthly basis, retail sales rose at a weaker pace of 0.6 percent versus a 1.6 percent increase in July. The slowdown in growth was mainly due to 4.3 percent less sales of pharmaceuticals, medical and cosmetic articles, and a 2.8 percent fall in fuel sales.