Back to Top

 Skip navigation

Extra information
For more information on this release:
E-mail: business_stats@cso.ie Stephanie Kelleher (+353) 21 453 5123 Alan Finlay (+353) 21 453 5211 Lillian Tobin (+353) 21 453 5585
For general information on CSO statistics:
information@cso.ie (+353) 21 453 5000 On-line ISSN 2009-5295
CSO statistical release, , 11am

Retail Sales Index

March 2019 (Provisional) February 2019 (Final)

Seasonally Adjusted Retail Sales Index - All Businesses
 (Base Year 2015 = 100)
     Volume IndexValue Index
March 2018111.2104.4
February 2019117.6110.6
March 2019116.7109.0
Monthly % change-0.8-1.4
Annual % change4.94.5

Retail Sales volume decreased by 0.8% in March 2019

Figure 1 Retail Sales Index - Seasonally Adjusted Volume
go to full release

Seasonally adjusted there was a decrease of 0.8% in the volume of retail sales in the month of March, with an annual increase of 4.9%. See Table 1. If Motor Trades are excluded, there was an increase of 1.2% in the volume of retail sales in March 2019 when compared with February 2019 and there was an increase of 8.2% in the annual figure. See Table 2.


The sectors with the largest monthly volume increases were Electrical Goods (+2.7%) and Fuel (+2.4%). The sectors with the largest month on month volume deceases were Motor Trade (-7.1%) and Hardware Paints & Glass (-3.7%). See Table 3.

There was a decrease of 1.4% in the value of retail sales in March 2019 when compared with February 2019 and there was an annual increase of 4.5% when compared with March 2018. If Motor Trades are excluded there was an increase of 0.1% in the value of retail sales in the month and an increase of 6.6% in the annual figure.

Unadjusted indices are available on CSO Statbank.

notepa
Business SectorsAnnual changeMonthly change
All Businesses4.9-0.8
All Businesses excl. Motor Trades8.21.2
All Businesses excl. Motor Trades & Bars9.10.4
Motors & Fuel0.1-7.6
All Businesses excl. Motor Trades, Fuel & Bars9.2-0.2
Food Businesses5.5-1.6
Non-Food (excl. Motor trades, Fuel & Bars)12.60.3
Household Equipment24.91.4
Books, Newspapers, Stationery & Other Goods6.2-0.8
Table 1 Seasonally Adjusted Indices of Total Retail Sales 1
        Base Year: 2015=100
  Total Retail Sales for all Businesses Combined
Period  Value of Sales Volume of Sales
   Index% change on previous periodAnnual % change Index% change on previous periodAnnual % change
2015Year 100.2   100.3  
2016Year 104.95.05.0 107.87.97.9
2017Year 106.51.51.5 112.03.93.9
2018Year109.42.72.7 116.23.83.8
        
20172nd quarter 105.2-2.51.0 110.5-1.43.3
 3rd quarter 105.90.61.0 112.01.33.6
 4th quarter 106.60.62.8 113.21.15.0
        
20181st quarter 107.50.9-0.4 113.50.21.2
 2nd quarter 109.31.63.8 116.02.35.0
 3rd quarter 110.10.84.0 117.21.04.7
 4th quarter 110.40.23.6 118.00.64.2
       
20191st quarter2109.8-0.52.0 116.8-1.02.9
         
2017September 104.8-0.21.4 111.70.33.8
 October 107.72.74.0 114.32.35.6
 November 107.2-0.52.9 113.6-0.65.6
 December 111.64.20.8 116.52.62.9
        
2018February106.7-4.5-0.1 112.7-3.31.6
March104.4-2.1-1.9 111.2-1.3-1.0
April108.13.62.7 114.73.24.6
May 109.21.03.0 115.80.93.9
June 110.61.35.8 117.61.66.5
July 110.4-0.24.5 117.3-0.35.2
August109.1-1.21.9 116.0-1.12.6
September111.01.85.7 118.42.16.3
October111.00.05.9 118.80.36.3
November110.3-0.62.5 117.7-0.93.0
December109.7-0.52.4 117.4-0.33.4
       
2019January 109.6-0.1-1.8 116.0-1.2-0.5
 February 110.61.03.7 117.61.44.4
March2109.0-1.44.5 116.7-0.84.9
1Based on Seasonal Patterns up to March 2019    
2Provisional value and volume of sales indices based on early returns from sample retailers
Table 2 Seasonally Adjusted Indices of Total Retail Sales (Excluding Motor Trades)1
        Base Year: 2015=100
  Total Retail Sales for all Businesses Combined (Excl Motor Trades)
Period Value of Sales Volume of Sales
   Index% change on previous periodAnnual % change Index% change on previous periodAnnual % change
2015Year 100.2   100.3  
2016Year 101.21.81.8 104.44.94.9
2017Year 104.73.53.5 110.55.85.8
2018Year 107.22.42.4 114.63.73.7
         
20172nd quarter 104.40.83.2 110.11.75.9
 3rd quarter 104.40.03.4 110.80.66.2
 4th quarter 106.21.73.9 112.51.56.7
        
20181st quarter105.0-1.11.4 112.3-0.23.7
 2nd quarter107.01.92.6 114.31.83.8
 3rd quarter108.21.13.7 115.51.04.2
 4th quarter108.20.02.0 116.20.63.2
       
20191st quarter2109.51.24.3 119.02.46.0
          
2017September 104.80.83.3 111.10.75.9
 October 108.23.25.2 114.43.08.1
 November 105.5-2.53.3 112.1-2.16.2
 December 105.70.22.6 112.60.55.0
        
2018February 105.80.12.4 112.80.24.6
 March 103.5-2.2-0.6 111.5-1.11.6
 April 105.92.41.6 113.21.53.6
 May 107.41.42.3 114.91.53.5
 June 107.80.33.9 114.90.04.4
 July 107.2-0.52.6 114.4-0.42.9
 August 107.80.53.0 115.20.73.8
 September 109.51.65.4 117.01.66.0
 October 108.4-1.13.4 115.8-1.04.3
 November 108.40.00.2 116.40.51.7
 December 107.9-0.52.3 116.3-0.13.8
        
2019January 108.10.22.3 117.10.74.0
 February 110.22.04.2 119.21.85.7
 March2 110.30.16.6 120.61.28.2
1Based on Seasonal Patterns up to March 2019
2Provisional value and volume of sales indices based on early returns from sample retailers
Table 3 Seasonally Adjusted1 Value and Volume Indices of Retail Sales for 13 Retail Businesses2 - Provisional Results March 2020
   Base Year: 2015=100
 March 2020
Retail Business - NACE REV 2Value of Sales Volume of Sales
 IndexMonthly % changeAnnual % change IndexMonthly % changeAnnual % change
Motor Trades78.5-30.9-28.0 80.4-30.7-28.9
Non-Specialised Stores (incl. Supermarkets) 131.013.316.7 138.114.017.4
Department Stores 66.5-26.5-29.4 79.0-25.8-27.7
Food, Beverages & Tobacco113.716.517.3 125.917.018.6
Fuel99.6-9.0-11.8 93.7-8.0-13.2
Pharmaceuticals, Medical & Cosmetic Articles120.39.411.2 134.88.812.0
Clothing, Footwear & Textiles52.8-49.4-51.9 58.5-49.2-51.0
Furniture & Lighting111.8-18.0-17.9 139.0-18.6-14.3
Hardware, Paints & Glass135.812.110.8 148.813.312.0
Electrical Goods126.66.315.6 198.05.924.3
Books, Newspapers & Stationery74.6-29.3-28.9 72.1-29.2-29.5
Other Retail Sales92.3-5.1-10.2 110.00.7-3.5
Bars 50.0-53.0-54.2 46.5-53.1-54.7
All Businesses 96.1-13.7-12.4 103.5-12.7-11.1
    Combined Groups       
All Businesses excl. Motor Trades106.3-2.6-2.9 117.7-1.9-0.6
All Businesses excl. Motor Trades & Bars109.5-0.40.7 122.10.12.8
Motors & Fuel79.5-29.7-26.7 81.5-28.7-27.7
All Businesses excl. Motor Trades, Fuel & Bars110.0-0.21.6 123.50.03.8
Food Businesses129.314.016.7 136.913.817.6
Non-Food excl. Motor Trades, Fuel & Bars93.4-12.3-13.0 114.4-7.6-8.0
Household Equipment125.31.96.0 171.72.512.7
Books, Newspapers, Stationery & Other Goods91.5-6.3-12.4 106.1-1.3-6.6
1Based on Seasonal Patterns up to March 2020, individual series are independently adjusted
2See Background Notes for further detail
Table 4 Seasonally Adjusted1 Value and Volume Indices of Retail Sales for 13 Retail Businesses2 - Final Results February 2020
   Base Year: 2015=100
 February 2020
Retail Business - NACE REV 2Value of Sales Volume of Sales
 IndexMonthly % changeAnnual % change IndexMonthly % changeAnnual % change
Motor Trades113.5-1.3-0.6 116.0-2.8-2.0
Non-Specialised Stores (incl. Supermarkets) 115.7-0.71.1 121.1-1.41.5
Department Stores 90.50.6-4.1 106.51.4-1.8
Food, Beverages & Tobacco97.6-1.2-2.6 107.6-1.3-1.8
Fuel109.5-1.80.6 101.9-0.8-3.9
Pharmaceuticals, Medical & Cosmetic Articles109.91.31.2 123.81.02.1
Clothing, Footwear & Textiles104.3-2.3-6.0 115.3-1.3-4.8
Furniture & Lighting136.44.73.3 170.64.98.0
Hardware, Paints & Glass121.2-1.4-3.6 131.3-1.8-2.8
Electrical Goods119.00.28.5 186.91.018.3
Books, Newspapers & Stationery105.52.0-0.1 101.81.8-1.5
Other Retail Sales97.2-4.0-5.5 109.3-1.0-3.9
Bars 106.50.8-2.6 99.10.2-3.7
All Businesses 111.4-0.6-0.2 118.7-1.20.0
    Combined Groups       
All Businesses excl. Motor Trades109.1-1.1-0.7 120.0-0.90.7
All Businesses excl. Motor Trades & Bars109.9-1.0-0.3 122.0-0.71.2
Motors & Fuel113.0-0.7-0.3 114.3-4.5-2.3
All Businesses excl. Motor Trades, Fuel & Bars110.2-0.7-0.3 123.5-0.31.5
Food Businesses113.4-1.21.0 120.3-0.81.0
Non-Food (excl. Motor Trades, Fuel & Bars)106.6-0.8-1.9 123.9-0.70.7
Household Equipment122.9-0.13.6 167.50.110.4
Books, Newspapers, Stationery & Other Goods97.7-3.5-5.3 107.5-3.6-3.8
1Based on Seasonal Patterns up to March 2020, individual series are independently adjusted
2See Background Notes for further detail
Table 5 Seasonally Adjusted1 Value and Volume Indices of Retail Sales for 13 Retail Businesses2 - 3 Monthly Provisional Estimates
 (Provisional Estimates)  Base Year: 2015=100
 January 2019 - March 2019
Retail Business - NACE REV 2Value of Sales Volume of Sales
 Index% change on previous periodAnnual % change Index% change on previous periodAnnual % change
Motor Trades108.8-7.2-0.2 112.5-8.0-0.6
Non-Specialised Stores (incl. supermarkets) 113.61.54.7 119.42.05.3
Department Stores 93.3-3.9-2.6 107.7-2.2-0.2
Food, Beverages & Tobacco98.3-1.61.9 107.6-0.43.5
Fuel110.7-1.85.0 107.11.53.8
Pharmaceuticals, Medical & Cosmetic Articles108.81.55.3 120.5-0.47.1
Clothing, Footwear & Textiles111.04.66.5 121.65.78.0
Furniture & Lighting134.23.315.1 161.14.920.9
Hardware, Paints & Glass123.64.68.5 133.34.59.7
Electrical Goods109.8-2.47.7 159.70.019.9
Books, Newspapers & Stationery106.82.76.7 104.00.94.2
Other Retail Sales102.97.86.5 122.836.16.6
Bars 108.9-0.10.7 103.10.3-3.0
All Businesses 109.8-0.52.0 116.8-1.02.9
    Combined Groups       
All Businesses excl. Motor Trades109.51.24.3 119.02.46.0
All Businesses excl. Motor Trades & Bars109.51.14.8 119.92.36.8
Motors & Fuel108.9-6.70.5 112.1-7.2-1.5
All Businesses excl. Motor Trades, Fuel & Bars109.41.34.9 120.52.27.0
Food Businesses111.71.04.2 118.11.75.0
Non-Food (excl. Motor Trades, Fuel & Bars)107.91.95.6 123.53.28.9
Household Equipment119.71.310.4 152.91.518.1
Books, Newspapers, Stationery & Other Goods102.95.35.8 115.519.45.6
1Based on Seasonal Patterns up to March 2019, individual series are independently adjusted
2See Background Notes for further detail

Background Notes

Retail Sales Index

An updated Retail Sales Index (RSI) has been introduced in the January 2018 release. The underlying methodology remains unchanged. The index is primarily intended to measure short-term trends.  For long term analysis, allowance must be made for the fact that the series does not reflect changes in retail structures between updates.

Reference Period

The February 2019 period covers the 4 weeks from 27/01/19 to 23/02/19 and the March 2019 period covers the 5 weeks from 24/02/19 to 30/03/19.

Base Year

This set of monthly retail sales indices has been compiled with reference to base year 2015=100. The underlying structural weighting system is mainly based on the 2015 Annual Services Inquiry. Weights are updated from year to year using ratios of average weekly turnover by size class within business type.

Scope and Coverage

The Retail Sales Index covers, on a matched sample basis, the retail sales of retail businesses, wholesale businesses with sizeable retailing activity, and the separate sales establishments of non-distribution enterprises. Excluded from the index coverage are the direct retail sales from non-distribution establishments together with the incidental retail sales of wholesale businesses. Also excluded are sales by exclusively online retailers, hawkers, street stalls, and other retailing activities not conducted from permanent business premises. The RSI does include internet/online sales of enterprises which have a presence in Ireland but these sales are included under the primary activity of the enterprise, e.g. online grocery sales are included in Non Specialised Stores. The statistical unit used for reporting sales figures in this inquiry is the enterprise (i.e. complete business covering all branches).

Methodology

The business categories are based mainly on the Statistical Classification of Economic Activities in the European Community (NACE Rev. 2). The index system is structured on the retailing enterprises covered in the 2015 Annual Services Inquiry classified by 13 retail business categories and four turnover (excluding VAT) ranges. The following NACE Rev.2 categories apply:

  • Motor Trades - Sale, maintenance and repair of new and second-hand vehicles and motorcycles (NACE 45)
  • Non-Specialised Stores - Retail sale in non-specialised stores with food, beverages or tobacco predominating - mainly supermarkets (NACE 47.11)
  • Department Stores -  Retail sale of a large variety of goods of which food products, beverages or tobacco are not predominant activities of the department stores. Retail sale of a general line of merchandise, including wearing apparel, furniture, appliances, hardware, cosmetics, jewellery, toys, sports goods, etc. (NACE 47.19)
  • Food, Beverages & Tobacco -  Retail sale of fruit and vegetables, meat and meat products, fish, crustaceans and molluscs, bread, cakes, flour and sugar confectionery, and beverages in specialised stores (NACE 47.2)
  • Fuel - Retail sale of fuel and lubricating products and cooling products for motor vehicles and motorcycles. Excludes wholesale of fuels (NACE 47.3)
  • Pharmaceuticals, Medical & Cosmetic Articles - Retail sale of pharmaceuticals, medical and orthopaedic goods, cosmetic and toilet articles in specialised stores (NACE 47.73 - 75)
  • Clothing, Footwear & Textiles – Retail sale of textiles, clothing, footwear and leather goods in specialised stores (NACE 47.51, 47.71 – 72)
  • Furniture & Lighting - Retail sale of furniture, lighting equipment and other household articles in specialised stores (NACE 47.59)
  • Hardware, Paints & Glass - Retail sale of hardware, paints and glass in specialised stores (NACE 47.52)
  • Electrical Goods – Retail sale of information and communication equipment, computers, peripheral units and software, telecommunications equipment, audio and video equipment and electrical household appliances in specialised stores (NACE 47.41-43, 47.54)
  • Books, Newspapers & Stationery – Retail sale of books excluding second-hand or antique books, retail sale of office supplies such as pens, pencils, paper, etc. (NACE 47.61 -.62)
  • Other Retail Sales – Retail sale of carpets, rugs, wall and floor coverings, music and video recordings, games and toys, flowers, plants, seeds, fertilisers, pet animals and pet food, jewellery, and other new goods in specialised stores. The retail sale activities via mail order or via Internet (NACE 47.53, 47.63-65, 47.76-8, 47.91)
  • Bars – Preparation and serving of beverages for immediate consumption on the premises (NACE 56.3)

 For a full NACE Rev2 breakdown of the above categories see attached link to the Retail Sales Index Methodological Documents.

The value indices are calculated by updating the aggregate 2015 retail turnover (including VAT) of these enterprises in these cells using the monthly retail sales data provided by the enterprise respondent panel from 2015 onwards.

The compilation of the index for a current month is based on the percentage change in average weekly sales in these cells over the corresponding monthly period of the previous year. The monthly volume indices are calculated by deflating the seasonally unadjusted value indices by specially constructed retail price indices derived from the Consumer Price Index (CPI). A copy of the Retail Sales Index methodology is available on our website (www.cso.ie).

Seasonal Adjustment

All Retail Sales “unadjusted” series are trading day adjusted as they are based on either a standardised four or five week reporting period (see reference period note above). Seasonal adjustment is conducted using the direct seasonal adjustment approach.  Under this approach each individual series is independently adjusted, e.g. aggregate series are adjusted without reference to the component series. Each individual seasonally adjusted series is calculated based on unadjusted data spanning from January 2010 to the current period.

The adjustments are completed by applying the X-13-ARIMA model, developed by the U.S. Census Bureau, to the unadjusted data. For additional information on the use of X-13ARIMA-SEATS see (Findley, D.F., B.C. Monsell, W.R. Bell, M.C. Otto, and B. Chen (1998), “New Capabilities and Methods of the X-12-Arima Seasonal Adjustment Program”, Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, 16, pp. 127-177.) and http://www.census.gov/srd/www/x13as/.

This methodology estimates seasonal factors while also taking into consideration factors that impact on the quality of the seasonal adjustment, such as:

  • Calendar effects e.g. the timing of Easter
  • The phase shift effect i.e. the fact the reporting period of the RSI does not coincide with the calendar month
  • Outliers, temporary changes, and level shifts in the series
  • Seasonal breaks e.g. the introduction of the new number plate system in the Motor Trade sector which occurred in July 2013.  
Note: The Motor Trade group comprises all retail motor trade activities, of which new car sales accounts for approximately 70% of turnover.
 
 Rebase 2015

The rebasing of the series is in line with EU recommendations to update the base reference periods at regular five-year intervals. This new series replaces the existing series to base year 2010 as 100.

The difference in the new rebased RSI series is the use of new cell and sector baseweights taken from the ASI 2015. The existing cell structure/breakdown was maintained in this series.

The new baseweights are updated each month using changes to respondents’ monthly turnover. The rebase also includes the reclassification of enterprises based on their current product profile.

Detail of the methodology used in the RSI are available on  Methodological Documents page.

 Reference

A detailed description of the Retail Sales Index is available on the Retail Sales Index  page.  Retrospective details for the current and previous series are also available on the CSO website.

upArrowHide Background Notes

Scan the QR code below to view this release online or go to
http://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/er/rsi/retailsalesindexmarch2019/