Irish retail sales flat-line month-on-month in May

DUBLIN (Reuters) – Irish retail sales volumes were unchanged month-on-month in May and 0.3% higher than the same period a year ago, Central Statistics Office data showed on Tuesday.

Department store, electrical goods and hardware sales grew sharply on the month, while furniture, clothing and car sales fell substantially. Retailers had posted their strongest monthly sales in more than a year in April, when they grew by 4.1%.

Even with annual inflation at a near 40-year high of 7.8%, the value of retail sales excluding motor trade fell by 0.1% year-on-year in May, the first month-on-month drop in 2022.

(Reporting by Padraic Halpin; Editing by Alex Richardson)