In March 2026, the volume of Retail Sales increased by 0.2% in the month and by 1.6% in the 12 months from March 2025.
Excluding Motor Trades, the monthly volume of Retail Sales was up by 0.1% in March 2026 and grew by 1.3% in the year when compared with March 2025.
The value of Retail Sales for All Businesses rose by 0.5% in the month and increased by 3.8% in the 12 months to March 2026.
The value of Retail Sales for Fuel increased by 7.7% in the month and by 10.5% in the year when compared with March 2025.
Sectors showing the highest monthly volume increases were Electrical Goods (+3.3%), Hardware, Paints & Glass (+3.0%), and Other Retail Sales (+2.4%).
The largest monthly volume decreases were recorded in Books, Newspapers & Stationery (-4.2%) and Bars (-2.7%).
In March 2026, the highest annual volume growth was recorded in Other Retail Sales (+5.9%), Electrical Goods (+5.1%), and Pharmaceuticals, Medical & Cosmetic Articles (+3.4%).
Sectors showing the largest annual volume declines were Books, Newspapers & Stationery (-5.7%), Furniture & Lighting (-3.7%), and Clothing, Footwear & Textiles (-3.5%).
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 | ||
| March 20262 | 116.4 | 130.1 |
| February 2026 | 116.2 | 129.5 |
| March 2025 | 114.6 | 125.3 |
| % change | ||
| Monthly | 0.2% | 0.5% |
| Annual | 1.6% | 3.8% |
| All Businesses (excl. Motor Trades) | ||
| March 20262 | 114.2 | 127.0 |
| February 2026 | 114.0 | 126.2 |
| March 2025 | 112.7 | 122.5 |
| % change | ||
| Monthly | 0.1% | 0.7% |
| Annual | 1.3% | 3.7% |
| 1Based on Seasonal Patterns up to March 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 March 2026 compared with February 2026.
| X-axis label | Monthly percentage change |
|---|---|
| All Businesses | 0.2 |
| Motor Trades | -0.2 |
| Non-Specialised Stores (incl. Supermarkets) | 0.3 |
| Department Stores | 0.8 |
| Food, Beverages & Tobacco | 0.7 |
| Fuel | 0.1 |
| Pharmaceuticals, Medical & Cosmetic Articles | -0.2 |
| Clothing, Footwear & Textiles | -0.5 |
| Furniture & Lighting | 0 |
| Hardware, Paints & Glass | 3 |
| Electrical Goods | 3.3 |
| Books, Newspapers & Stationery | -4.2 |
| Other Retail Sales | 2.4 |
| Bars | -2.7 |
Figure 2b shows the annual seasonally adjusted volume percentage changes for March 2026 compared with March 2025.
| X-axis label | Annual percentage change |
|---|---|
| All Businesses | 1.6 |
| Motor Trades | 1.1 |
| Non-Specialised Stores (incl. Supermarkets) | 0.2 |
| Department Stores | 0.2 |
| Food, Beverages & Tobacco | -2.1 |
| Fuel | 1.4 |
| Pharmaceuticals, Medical & Cosmetic Articles | 3.4 |
| Clothing, Footwear & Textiles | -3.5 |
| Furniture & Lighting | -3.7 |
| Hardware, Paints & Glass | -1.2 |
| Electrical Goods | 5.1 |
| Books, Newspapers & Stationery | -5.7 |
| Other Retail Sales | 5.9 |
| Bars | 0.4 |
Figure 3 shows the percentage of turnover generated by online sales for All Businesses and All Businesses excluding Motor Trades from March 2024 to March 2026.
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (29 April 2026) published Retail Sales Index March 2026 (Provisional) and February 2026 (Final).
The March 2026 (Provisional) period covers the five weeks from 01/03/26 to 04/04/26, while the February 2026 (Final) period covers the four weeks from 01/02/26 to 28/02/26.
Commenting on the release, Tommy Allen, Statistician in the Enterprise Statistics Division, said: "The volume of Retail Sales increased by 0.2% in March 2026 when compared with February 2026 on a seasonally adjusted basis. On an annual basis, retail volumes were 1.6% higher than in March 2025.
When Motor Trades are excluded, the volume of Retail Sales rose by 0.1% in the month and by 1.3% in the year when compared with March 2025 (See Table 1 and Figure 1).
The Fuel sector experienced a 7.7% monthly value increase in March 2026 and was up by 10.5% when compared with March 2025. In volume terms Fuel remained relatively stable in March 2026 with monthly and annual increases of 0.1% and 1.4%, respectively. This divergence of value and volume reflects the inflation currently being experienced in the sector.
Monthly Changes
Sectors showing the highest monthly volume increases were Electrical Goods (+3.3%), Hardware, Paints & Glass (+3.0%), and Other Retail Sales (+2.4%).
The largest monthly volume decreases were recorded in Books, Newspapers & Stationery (-4.2%) and Bars (-2.7%) (See Table 2 and Background Notes).
Annual Changes
In March 2026, the highest annual volume growth was recorded in Other Retail Sales (+5.9%), Electrical Goods (+5.1%), and Pharmaceuticals, Medical & Cosmetic Articles (+3.4%).
Sectors showing the largest annual volume declines were Books, Newspapers & Stationery (-5.7%), Furniture & Lighting (-3.7%), and Clothing, Footwear & Textiles (-3.5%) (See Table 2).
Value of Retail Sales
The value of Retail Sales was 0.5% higher in March 2026 than in February 2026 and was up by 3.8% when compared with March 2025. Excluding Motor Trades, the value of Retail Sales rose by 0.7% in the month and by 3.7% on an annual basis (See Tables 1 & 2)."