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Retail Sales Index December 2022 (Provisional) and November 2022 (Final)

Volume of Retail Sales unchanged in December 2022

Online ISSN: 2009-5295
CSO statistical publication, , 11am

Key Findings

  • In December 2022, the volume of Retail Sales remained unchanged in the month and rose by 0.5% in the year. 

  • Monthly volume increases were recorded in Motor Trades (+4.0%), Other Retail Sales (+2.8%) and Non-Specialised Stores (incl. Supermarkets) (+1.4%).

  • The largest monthly volume decreases were in Clothing, Footwear & Textiles (-16.8%), Electrical Goods (-7.7%), and Furniture & Lighting (-5.7%).

  • The largest annual volume increase was in Bars (+54.7%), however caution should be exercised with this level of growth as it is compared with a low base from the previous year. With the arrival of the COVID-19 Omicron variant in December 2021 restrictions were re-introduced, including an 8pm closing time for bars just before Christmas.

  • Other sectors to show large annual volume increases were Clothing, Footwear & Textiles (+7.7%) and Electrical Goods (+7.2%).

  • Other Retail Sales (-18.0%), Food, Beverages & Tobacco (Specialised Stores) (-13.0%), Furniture & Lighting (-12.7%), and Hardware, Paints & Glass (-10.1%) showed the largest annual volume declines in December 2022.

  • The volume of Retail Sales excluding Motor Trades fell by 1.8% in the month and rose by 0.1% in the year when compared with December 2021.

  • The proportion of Retail Sales transacted online (from Irish registered companies) was 6.2% in December 2022 compared with 6.3% in November 2022, 9.7% in December 2021, and 5.8% in December 2020.

Statistician's Comment

Commenting on the release, Stephanie Kelleher, Statistician in the Business Statistics Division, said: "Retail Sales were unchanged in December 2022 when compared with November 2022 on a seasonally adjusted basis. On an annual basis, retail volumes were 0.5% higher than in December 2021. (See Headline Table, Table 1, and Figure 1)

Monthly Changes

In December 2022, monthly volume increases were recorded in Motor Trades (+4.0%), Other Retail Sales (+2.8%), Non-Specialised Stores (incl. Supermarkets) (+1.4%), and Books, Newspapers & Stationery (+0.8%).

The largest monthly volume decreases were in Clothing, Footwear & Textiles (-16.8%), Electrical Goods (-7.7%), Furniture & Lighting (-5.7%), Food, Beverages & Tobacco (Specialised Stores) (-3.5%), and Hardware, Paints & Glass (-3.2%). (See Table 3 and Background Notes)

Annual Changes

The largest annual volume increase was in Bars (+54.7%), however caution should be exercised with this level of growth as it is compared with a low base from the previous year. With the arrival of the COVID-19 Omicron variant in December 2021 restrictions were re-introduced, including an 8pm closing time for bars just before Christmas. Despite this large recovery, Bar sales remained 12.5% lower than their pre-COVID-19 level in February 2020.

Other sectors to show large annual volume increases were Clothing, Footwear & Textiles (+7.7%) and Electrical Goods (+7.2%).

The largest annual volume decreases were recorded in Other Retail Sales (-18.0%), Food, Beverages & Tobacco (Specialised Stores) (-13.0%), Furniture & Lighting (-12.7%), and Hardware, Paints & Glass (-10.1%). (See Tables 3 & 3a)

Value of Retail Sales

The value of Retail Sales was 0.5% higher in December 2022 than November 2022 and was 8.3% higher than a year earlier. Excluding Motor Trades, the value of Retail Sales fell by 0.5% in the month and rose by 7.9% on an annual basis. (See Tables 1 & 2)"

Reference Period

The December (Provisional) period covers five weeks from 27/10/22 to 31/12/22 and the November (Final) period covers four weeks from 30/10/22 to 26/11/22.

Tables and Graphs

Seasonally Adjusted Retail Sales Index - All Businesses
 Base Year 2015 = 100
 Volume IndexValue Index
February 2020121.5112.3
December 2021124.4119.7
November 2022124.9128.9
December 2022125.0129.6
% change  
Monthly0.0%0.5%
Annual0.5%8.3%
February 2020 - December 20222.9%15.4%

In December 2022, the volume of Retail Sales for all businesses remained unchanged on the month and rose by 0.5% in the year. Excluding motor trades there was a monthly volume decrease of 1.8% in December 2022, while on an annual basis, retail volumes were 0.1% higher.

Figure 1: Retail Sales Index - Seasonally Adjusted Volume January 2020 - December 2022

In December 2022, the largest monthly volume decreases were in Clothing, Footwear & Textiles (-16.8%), Electrical Goods (-7.7%), and Furniture & Lighting (-5.7%). The largest monthly volume growth was in Motor Trades (+4.0%) and Other Retail Sales (+2.8%).

X-axis labelMonthly percentage change
All Businesses0
Motor Trades4
Non-Specialised Stores (incl. Supermarkets) 1.4
Department Stores 0
Food, Beverages & Tobacco-3.5
Fuel-0.5
Pharmaceuticals, Medical & Cosmetic Articles-1.7
Clothing, Footwear & Textiles-16.8
Furniture & Lighting-5.7
Hardware, Paints & Glass-3.2
Electrical Goods-7.7
Books, Newspapers & Stationery0.8
Other Retail Sales2.8
Bars -0.5

In December 2022, the sectors with the largest annual increases in volume were Bars (+54.7%), Clothing, Footwear & Textiles (+7.7%), Electrical Goods (+7.2%), and Department Stores (+5.7%). Large annual falls were seen in Other Retail Sales (-18.0%), Food, Beverages & Tobacco (Specialised Stores) (-13.0%), Furniture & Lighting (-12.7%), and Hardware, Paints & Glass (-10.1%).

X-axis labelAnnual percentage change
All Businesses0.5
Motor Trades2.7
Non-Specialised Stores (incl. Supermarkets) 0.6
Department Stores 5.7
Food, Beverages & Tobacco-13
Fuel2.4
Pharmaceuticals, Medical & Cosmetic Articles-0.8
Clothing, Footwear & Textiles7.7
Furniture & Lighting-12.7
Hardware, Paints & Glass-10.1
Electrical Goods7.2
Books, Newspapers & Stationery-1.1
Other Retail Sales-18
Bars 54.7

Compared with February 2020 (34 months earlier and pre-COVID-19), the biggest rise in the volume of Retail Sales in December 2022 was seen in Clothing, Footwear & Textiles (+21.7%), Pharmaceuticals, Medical & Cosmetic Articles (+16.5%), Electrical Goods (+13.8%), and Hardware, Paints & Glass (+10.8%). The largest volume decreases during the same period occurred in Other Retail Sales (-14.8%), Bars (-12.5%), and Books, Newspapers & Stationery (-9.8%).

X-axis labelFebruary 2020 - December 2022
All Businesses2.9
Motor Trades2.2
Non-Specialised Stores (incl. Supermarkets) 8.8
Department Stores 2.4
Food, Beverages & Tobacco5.1
Fuel-3.3
Pharmaceuticals, Medical & Cosmetic Articles16.5
Clothing, Footwear & Textiles21.7
Furniture & Lighting-3.5
Hardware, Paints & Glass10.8
Electrical Goods13.8
Books, Newspapers & Stationery-9.8
Other Retail Sales-14.8
Bars -12.5

The proportion of Retail Sales transacted online (from Irish registered companies) was 6.2% in December 2022 compared with 6.3% in November 2022, 9.7% in December 2021, and 5.8% in December 2020. Excluding Motor Trades, the proportion of Retail Sales transacted online in December 2022 was 6.8%, compared with 8.4% in November 2022 and 6.3% in December 2021.

Figure 4: Percentage of Turnover generated by Online Sales for All Businesses and All Businesses excl. Motors, January 2020 - December 2022
1 Seasonally Adjusted Indices of Total Retail Sales for All Businesses

2 Seasonally Adjusted Indices of Total Retail Sales for All Businesses (Excluding Motor Trades)

3 Seasonally Adjusted Value and Volume Indices of Retail Sales for 13 Retail Businesses - Provisional Results December 2022

3a Percentage changes for Retail Sales for 13 Retail Businesses, February 2020 (pre-COVID-19) - December 2022

4 Seasonally Adjusted Value and Volume Indices of Retail Sales for 13 Retail Businesses - Final Results November 2022

5 Seasonally Adjusted Value and Volume Indices of Retail Sales for 13 Retail Businesses - 3 Monthly Provisional Estimates

6 Percentage of Turnover generated by Online Sales for Total Retail Sales

7 Percentage of Turnover generated by Online Sales for 13 Retail Businesses - Provisional Results December 2022