Commenting on the release, Stephanie Kelleher, Statistician in the Business Statistics Division, said: “Retail Sales fell by 1.6% in July 2022 when compared with June 2022 on a seasonally adjusted basis. On an annual basis, retail volumes were 8.1% lower than in July 2021.”

In July 2022, the largest monthly volume increase in sales was recorded in Bars (+23.0%). Electrical Goods (+3.0%) and Furniture & Lighting (+2.0%) also increased in the month. The largest monthly volume decreases were in Books, Newspapers & Stationery (-27.2%), Pharmaceuticals, Medical & Cosmetic Articles (-6.8%), Other Retail Sales (-5.5%), and Motor Trades (-4.9%).

Four sectors showed an annual increase in the volume of sales compared with July 2021. Bars rose by 56.8% compared with July 2021, however despite this large recovery over the previous year, Bar sales remained 8.4% lower than its pre-COVID-19 level in February 2020. Clothing & Footwear (+4.3%), Department Stores (+4.2%), and Furniture & Lighting (+1.1%) also showed an annual increase in volume.

Compared with February 2020 (29 months earlier and pre-COVID-19), the volume of All Retail Sales in July 2022 was unchanged. The largest increases in the volume of Retail Sales in July 2022 since pre-COVID-19 were in Clothing & Footwear (+21.5%), Pharmaceuticals, Medical & Cosmetic Articles (+19.7%), and Hardware, Paints & Glass (+12.7%).

The largest volume decreases during the same period occurred in Books, Newspapers & Stationery (-42.2%), Other Retail Sales (-12.1%), Fuel (-10.2%), and Bars (-8.4%). (See Table 3a)

The value of Retail Sales was 0.1% lower in July 2022 than in June 2022 and was 0.4% lower than a year earlier. Excluding Motor Trades, the value of Retail Sales decreased by 1.7% in the month and increased by 5.7% on an annual basis.