Retail sales in Ireland fell 0.6% month-on-month in May 2025, following a downwardly revised 1.0% gain in the previous month. The decline was primarily driven by weaker demand in several key categories, including department stores (-3.7% vs +6.1% in April), food, beverages & tobacco (-2.2% vs +1.3%), hardware, paints & glass (-1.5% vs -0.2%), electrical goods (-1.3% vs -1.1%), books, newspapers & stationery (-1.0% vs +1.9%), and non-specialised stores (-0.6%, unchanged from April). Conversely, gains were recorded in other retail categories (+3.0% vs -0.9%), fuel (+2.2% vs +0.4%), bars (+1.2% vs -0.2%), and furniture & lighting (+1.2% vs +3.2%). On an annual basis, retail trade rose 1.6% in May, slowing from a revised 2.7% increase in April.
