This chapter contains information on the services sector. Data is taken from the Retail Sales Inquiry (RSI) and the Monthly Services Inquiry. The primary purpose of the Retail Sales Inquiry is to provide a short-term indication of changes in the value and volume (or quantity) of retail sales in Ireland. The Monthly Services Inquiry measures changes in output in the non-financial traded services sector.
| Table 10.1 Volume indices of retail sales | ||||
| Base year 2015=100 | ||||
| Businesses | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
| Motor trades | 100.0 | 113.3 | 113.6 | 117.3 |
| Retail sale in non-specialised stores with food, beverages or tobacco predominating | 100.0 | 104.2 | 109.3 | 115.2 |
| Department stores | 100.0 | 99.8 | 106.7 | 110.7 |
| Retail sale of food, beverages and tobacco in specialised stores | 100.0 | 102.7 | 104.6 | 107.4 |
| Retail sale of automotive fuel | 100.0 | 101.9 | 103.5 | 104.7 |
| Retail sale of pharmaceutical, medical and cosmetic articles | 100.0 | 105.1 | 111.0 | 117.1 |
| Retail sale of textiles, clothing and footwear | 100.0 | 106.4 | 113.2 | 115.1 |
| Retail sale of furniture and lighting | 100.0 | 112.3 | 131.1 | 143.6 |
| Retail sale of hardware, paints and glass | 100.0 | 106.7 | 116.3 | 126.4 |
| Retail sale of electrical goods | 100.0 | 110.5 | 126.5 | 149.0 |
| Retail sale of books, newspapers, stationery | 100.0 | 98.8 | 99.4 | 102.9 |
| Other retail sales | 100.0 | 106.9 | 112.7 | 105.6 |
| Bars | 100.0 | 103.1 | 106.8 | 105.5 |
| All retail businesses, excluding motor trades | 100.0 | 104.9 | 111.0 | 115.4 |
| All retail businesses | 100.0 | 107.5 | 111.8 | 115.9 |
| Combined Groups | ||||
| All retail businesses, excluding motor trades and bars | 100.0 | 105.0 | 111.2 | 115.8 |
| Motor trades and automotive fuel | 100.0 | 112.1 | 112.6 | 116.0 |
| All retail businesses, excluding motor trades, automotive fuel and bars | 100.0 | 105.2 | 111.7 | 116.4 |
| Retail sale of food | 100.0 | 104.1 | 108.8 | 114.4 |
| Retail sale of non food products, excluding motor trades, automotive fuel and bars | 100.0 | 106.1 | 114.1 | 118.2 |
| Retail sale of household equipment | 100.0 | 109.5 | 122.9 | 138.4 |
| Retail sale of books, newspapers stationery and other goods | 100.0 | 105.9 | 111.1 | 105.3 |
| Source: CSO | ||||
Interactive table: StatBank link
Link to release: Retail Sales Index
| Business Sectors | All Business | All Businesses excluding motors |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 107.5 | 104.9 |
| 2017 | 111.8 | 111 |
| 2018 | 115.9 | 115.4 |
The primary purpose of the RSI is to provide a short-term indication of changes in the value and volume (or quantity) of retail sales in Ireland. It provides an accurate and objective measure of retail trading and supplies a valuable guide to consumer spending behaviour in the Irish economy.
In 2018, the volume of retail sales in All businesses increased by 3.7% when compared to 2017, while All businesses excluding motors increased by 4.0%. Most sectors showed an increase in 2018 compared with 2017 with the sector Retail sale of electrical goods increasing by 17.8%. Exceptions to this trend included the sectors Other retail sales with a decrease of 6.3% on the previous year and Bars with a decrease of 1.2%.
| Table 10.2 Value Indices of Monthly Service Inquiry | ||||
| Base year 2015=100 | ||||
| Sector | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
| Wholesale and retail trade repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (G) | 99.9 | 99.7 | 101.3 | 107.8 |
| Transportation and storage (H) | 99.9 | 101.3 | 102.6 | 110.5 |
| Accommodation and food service activities (I) | 100 | 102.8 | 108.5 | 118.4 |
| Information and communication (J) | 100 | 107.4 | 109.4 | 128.5 |
| Professional, scientific and technical activities (M) | 99.8 | 108.8 | 121.7 | 116.1 |
| Administrative and support service activities (N) | 99.9 | 99.9 | 108.2 | 122.5 |
| Other services (68, 92,93,95,96) | 100.2 | 112.2 | 117.9 | 104.8 |
| All services (45 to 63, 68 to 82, 92 to 96) | 99.9 | 104.4 | 108.5 | 117.1 |
| Source: CSO | ||||
Interactive Table: Statbank link
Link to release: Monthly Services Index
The value of the monthly services sector was almost 8% higher in 2018 than in 2017. This was led by a 17% increase in the Information and Communication sector. This was followed by an 13% increase in the Administrative and support service activities sector.
| Table 10.3 Services and Distribution | ||||||
| Percentage change | ||||||
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2016 - 2017 | |||
| Enterprises | No. | 192,545 | 193,081 | 207,172 | 7.3 | |
| of which: | ||||||
| SME (<250) | 192,234 | 192,739 | 206,809 | 7.3 | ||
| Large (250+) | 311 | 342 | 363 | 6.1 | ||
| Persons Engaged | No. | 1,037,683 | 1,088,732 | 1,141,977 | 4.9 | |
| of which: | ||||||
| SME (<250) | 768,550 | 798,256 | 833,843 | 4.5 | ||
| Large (250+) | 269,133 | 290,476 | 308,134 | 6.1 | ||
| Turnover | €m | 351,964 | 398,393 | 404,229 | 1.5 | |
| of which: | ||||||
| SME (<250) | 232,606 | 264,833 | 268,336 | 1.3 | ||
| Large (250+) | 119,358 | 133,559 | 135,893 | 1.7 | ||
| Gross Value Added | €m | 81,108 | 90,710 | 98,001 | 8.0 | |
| of which: | ||||||
| SME (<250) | 52,380 | 58,330 | 57,970 | -0.6 | ||
| Large (250+) | 28,728 | 32,380 | 40,032 | 23.6 | ||
| Source: CSO | ||||||
Between 2016 and 2017 the number of enterprises increased by 7.3%, bringing the number of enterprises in the Services and Distribution sectors to over 200,000 for the first time.
Almost all (99.8%) of the enterprises in this sector were SMEs with less than 250 employees.
The average GVA per person engaged in the Services and Distribution sectors in 2017 was €85,000, up from €83,300 in 2016.
Large enterprises had an average GVA per person engaged of €129,900 while SMEs had an average of €69,500 in 2017.
The average number of persons engaged in an enterprise was six, the same as 2016.
Interactive Table: Statbank link
Link to release: Structural Business Statistics
| Turnover | Gross Value Added | |
| 2015 | 351.964 | 81.108 |
| 2016 | 398.393 | 90.71 |
| 2017 | 404.229 | 98.001 |
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