Irish retail sales saw a 0.6% volume fall in May compared to April and dropped 1% year on year, the country’s Central Statistics Office (CSO) said on Friday. They were dragged lower by weak car sales with only a 0.3% monthly fall and 0.5% annual drop without those included.

By value, sales dropped 2% on the month but rose 1.5% on the year. Again, with car sales factored out, the value of retail sales was up 0.1% on the month and 1.8% on an annual basis.

Cars weren’t the only weak category though, with clothing, footwear & textiles volume sales actually turning in a worse performance. Month on month they fell 6.4%. Yet the category was up 4.9% against the same month last year.

But there was some brighter news for pharmaceuticals, medical & cosmetic articles as they rose 3% month on month, while department stores were up 2.9%.

And in a reversal of the picture for clothing, department stores were less strong year on year, with a 4% drop compared to May 2023.

Even with the obvious weaknesses in some areas, as is the case in the UK, some key shopping destination remained disproportionately strong in May.

Blanchardstown Centre in Dublin, for instance, continued to attract large numbers of shoppers.

Bernard Nulty, Director, Falcon AM (asset manager for the centre), said it continued to see strong footfall figures in May, “with it being our highest on record and 2% ahead of our figures in 2023. These figures indicate that the Irish consumer still values the physical shopping experience and our improved tenant mix, investment in the retail experience, and a shift in retailer models to prioritise strategic locations for new stores within Blanchardstown Centre”.

He added that the location saw “a significant strong performance from our retailers, in particular our cosmetics and health retailers who have been a standout performer over the last 12 months, reporting double digit sales growth on pre-Covid and year on year”.