2026.01.2811:58:38UTC+00Ireland Retail Sales Edge Lower in December

In December 2025, retail sales in Ireland experienced a slight decline of 0.1% compared to the previous month, counteracting a revised increase of 0.3% observed in November. This downturn was largely attributed to reduced sales in sectors such as books, newspapers, and stationery, which fell by 9% from a previous decline of 1.2%. Additionally, fuel sales dropped by 2.6% compared to a 0.9% rise earlier, hardware, paints, and glass products decreased by 2.5% after a 2.8% increase, and bar sales shrank by 2.1%, down from a 3.8% rise. Conversely, there were notable sales increases in electrical goods (up 2% compared to a previous decrease of 0.7%), food, beverages, and tobacco (up 1.7% after a 1.4% decline), and clothing, footwear, and textiles (up 1.6% from a prior decrease of 0.7%). However, the growth in motor trades slowed to 2.5%, from an earlier 4.7% increase. On an annual scale, the retail sector saw a 0.1% reduction in December, marking the first year-over-year decrease since March 2025, following a revised increase of 2.1% in November.