In August 2026, the volume of Retail Sales increased by 0.6% in the month and by 4.3% in the 12 months from August 2025.
Excluding Motor Trades, the monthly volume of Retail Sales was up 0.2% in August 2026 and grew by 3.0% in the year when compared with August 2025.
The value of Retail Sales for All Businesses rose by 0.4% in the month and by 5.6% in the 12 months to August 2026.
Sectors showing the largest monthly volume increases were Furniture & Lighting (+2.6%), Clothing, Footwear & Textiles (+2.2%), and Bars (+1.9%).
The largest monthly volume decreases were in Pharmaceuticals, Medical & Cosmetic Articles (-4.3%) and Fuel (-2.8%).
In August 2026, all sectors showed annual volume growth, with the highest increases recorded in Department Stores (+9.0%), Motor Trades (+7.0%), and Clothing, Footwear & Textiles (+6.8%).
The monthly volume of Retail Sales for Fuel declined by 2.8% since July 2026, while value fell by 2.3%. In the 12 months to August 2026, the volume of Retail Sales for Fuel grew by 1.8%, while value rose by 5.4%.
Please note that there will be a revision to all Retail Sales volume indices in the coming months which will be communicated in advance of implementation. This is due to a new classification scheme recently adopted in the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Please see CPI methodology page for more information.
Figure 1 and Table 1 show the seasonally adjusted volume of Retail Sales indices for All Businesses and All Businesses excluding Motor Trades. Table 1 also highlights monthly and annual percentage changes in terms of both value and volume. Value represents turnover or total expenditure whereas volume strips out the impact of price changes to reflect quantity sold.
| Table 1 Seasonally Adjusted Indices of Total Retail Sales for All Businesses and All Businesses (excl. Motor Trades)1 | ||
| Base Year 2021=100 | ||
| Volume Index | Value Index | |
| All Businesses | ||
| August 20262 | 119.4 | 134.0 |
| July 2026 | 118.7 | 133.6 |
| August 2025 | 114.5 | 127.0 |
| % change | ||
| Monthly | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Annual | 4.3 | 5.6 |
| All Businesses (excl. Motor Trades) | ||
| August 20262 | 116.4 | 129.5 |
| July 2026 | 116.2 | 129.7 |
| August 2025 | 113.0 | 124.0 |
| % change | ||
| Monthly | 0.2 | -0.1 |
| Annual | 3.0 | 4.4 |
| 1Based on Seasonal Patterns up to August 2026. | ||
| 2Provisional value and volume of sales indices based on early returns from sample retailers. | ||
Figure 2a shows the monthly seasonally adjusted volume percentage changes for August 2026 compared with July 2026.
| X-axis label | Monthly percentage change |
|---|---|
| All Businesses | 0.6 |
| Motor Trades | -1 |
| Non-Specialised Stores (incl. Supermarkets) | -1.4 |
| Department Stores | 0.5 |
| Food, Beverages & Tobacco | -0.6 |
| Fuel | -2.8 |
| Pharmaceuticals, Medical & Cosmetic Articles | -4.3 |
| Clothing, Footwear & Textiles | 2.2 |
| Furniture & Lighting | 2.6 |
| Hardware, Paints & Glass | -1.3 |
| Electrical Goods | -1.3 |
| Books, Newspapers & Stationery | -0.3 |
| Other Retail Sales | 0.6 |
| Bars | 1.9 |
Figure 2b shows the annual seasonally adjusted volume percentage changes for August 2026 compared with August 2025.
| X-axis label | Annual percentage change |
|---|---|
| All Businesses | 4.3 |
| Motor Trades | 7 |
| Non-Specialised Stores (incl. Supermarkets) | 1.3 |
| Department Stores | 9 |
| Food, Beverages & Tobacco | 4 |
| Fuel | 1.8 |
| Pharmaceuticals, Medical & Cosmetic Articles | 3.6 |
| Clothing, Footwear & Textiles | 6.8 |
| Furniture & Lighting | 2.8 |
| Hardware, Paints & Glass | 1.1 |
| Electrical Goods | 1.5 |
| Books, Newspapers & Stationery | 3.2 |
| Other Retail Sales | 3.2 |
| Bars | 1.8 |
The sample for the Retail Sales Index is drawn from the population of Ireland’s domestic retail enterprises, non-domestic online retailers are not included. The information provided in figure 3 and table 3 relates only to the online sales conducted by these retail enterprises, rather than representing the entirety of online sales activity. This should not be interpreted as a measure of consumer spending in online retail sales.
Figure 3 shows the percentage of turnover generated by online sales for All Businesses and All Businesses excluding Motor Trades from August 2024 to August 2026.
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (30 September 2026) published Retail Sales Index August 2026 (Provisional) and July 2026 (Final).
The August 2026 (Provisional) period covers the four weeks from 02 August 2026 to 29 August 2026, while the July 2026 (Final) period covers the four weeks from 05 July 2026 to 01 August 2026.
Commenting on the release, Tommy Allen, Statistician in the Enterprise Statistics Division, said: "The volume of Retail Sales increased by 0.6% in August 2026 when compared with July 2026 on a seasonally adjusted basis. On an annual basis, retail volumes were 4.3% higher than in August 2025.
When Motor Trades are excluded, the volume of Retail Sales rose by 0.2% in the month and by 3.0% in the year when compared with August 2025 (See Table 1 and Figure 1).
The Fuel sector experienced a monthly volume decrease of 2.8% in August 2026 and was up by 1.8% annually when compared with August 2025. In value terms, Fuel fell by 2.3% in the month and rose by 5.4% in the year. Sustained inflation can be observed in the sector as annual value increases outpace volume of sales.
Monthly Changes
Sectors showing the largest monthly volume increases were Furniture & Lighting (+2.6%), Clothing, Footwear & Textiles (+2.2%), and Bars (+1.9%).
The largest monthly volume declines were in Pharmaceuticals, Medical & Cosmetic Articles (-4.3%) and Fuel (-2.8%) (See Table 2 and Background Notes).
Annual Changes
In August 2026, all sectors recorded annual volume growth, with the highest increases recorded in Department Stores (+9.0%), Motor Trades (+7.0%), and Clothing, Footwear & Textiles (+6.8%) (See Table 2).
Value of Retail Sales
The value of Retail Sales was 0.4% higher in August 2026 than in July 2026 and was up by 5.6% when compared with August 2025. Excluding Motor Trades, the value of Retail Sales fell by 0.1% in the month and rose by 4.4% on an annual basis (See Tables 1 & 2)."