The month of January saw strong retail sales across all categories in Ireland, outperforming the same time last year, according to the Central Statistics Office.
Sales values grew by 3.3% in the year to the end of January 2017, indicating a successful post-Christmas shopping season, excluding bar and car sales. Volume growth was 6.3% in the same period, with a growth spike of 1.5% in January alone.
Furniture, lighting, electrical goods and hardware categories were the strongest.
Ibec group Retail Ireland lauded the results. Director Thomas Burke said, “Given the disappointing trading levels during the usually busy month of December, it is encouraging to see 2017 start so strongly in terms of activity at Irish tills.
"Post-holiday sales can sometimes fall flat after a busy pre-Christmas period but it would appear that the reverse is the case this year."
Increased Uncertainty
In the upcoming year, Burke said that the instability of the retail sector month-on-month points to consumers' increased uncertainty and a mercurial external environment.
"Furthermore, it is clear that the impact of Brexit and the growing migration of Irish consumers to foreign based online retail channels will continue to present real threats to the sector in the year ahead.
"This constantly changing picture makes planning ever more difficult for retailers and many continue to operate on short term planning cycles in order to remain agile and flexible to the quickly changing trading environment."
A report by PwC released this week showed that Irish retailers would do well to take advantage of the online market, which is largely untapped in the country.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Karen Henderson. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
