Ireland Retail Sales Post Sharpest Drop in 16 Months

Retail sales in Ireland fell by 0.1% month-over-month in August 2025, slipping from a 0.8% increase in the previous month. This marked the sharpest decline in retail activity since April last year, mainly due to sharp decreases in sales in motor trades (-3.6% vs 9.2% in July), department stores (-4.3% vs 0%), and clothing, footwear and textiles (-2.4% vs 1.6%). Additionally, trade growth softened for pharmaceuticals, medical & cosmetic articles (0.3% vs 2.9%) and hardware, paints and glass (0.3% vs 3%). On the other hand, activity rebounded for other retail sales (1.1% vs -0.1%), while dropped at a lesser extent for books, newspapers and stationery (-0.7% vs -3.2%). On an annual basis, retail sales rose by 3.9% in August, slowing from a one and a half-year high of 4.2% increase in the preceding period.