The volume of retail sales dropped by 3.2 per cent in December 2021 compared with November 2021, according to new figures released by the Central Statistics Office.
This comes despite the usual busy shopping period in the run-up to Christmas.
Bars recorded the largest drop in sales, down 34.7 per cent amid restrictions on opening hours during the 2021 festive season.
Volume of Retail Sales down 3.2% in December 2021 compared with November 2021https://t.co/InNEqrInP4 #CSOIreland #Ireland #RetailSales #Services #Retail #Business #BusinessStatistics #IrishBusiness pic.twitter.com/GN2nClytv2
— Central Statistics Office Ireland (@CSOIreland) January 28, 2022
After bars, electrical goods recorded a 22.5 per cent decrease in sales while furniture and lighting sales experienced an increase of 10.9 per cent.
Compared with December 2019, the volume of sales was 4.8 per cent higher last year.
Although bars experienced the highest annual volume increase at 36.6 per cent, they were still recording 49.3 per cent lower than 2019 levels.
The latest CSO figures also show an increase in the number of consumers opting to shop online.
Irish registered companies recorded a 6.5 per cent increase in the number of online sales in December 2021, compared with 4.1 per cent in 2019.
