Retail sales rebound but a number of sectors remain impacted by Covid-19

Customers queuing outside a Woodies hardware store after phase one of the lockdown was lifted. The hardware sector has seen retail volumes rise above pre-Covid levels. Picture: Leon Farrell

The volume of retail sales increased by 6.4% in July when compared to July of last year figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show.

Retail sales also increased by 1.5% when compared to June of this year on a seasonally adjusted basis.

When compared to July 2019 electrical goods, furniture & lighting, hardware, paint & glass and food, beverages & tobacco all saw significant increases in sales volumes.

However, the volume of retail sales is still lower in bars (-53.0%), books, newspapers and stationery (-39.7%), department stores (-16.5%) and fuel (-10.9%) due to the impact of the pandemic.

The CSO said a similar trend was observed when sales for July were compared with sales for February prior to the impact of the coronavirus.

Overall retail sales in July were 4.7% higher than in February 2020 before the crisis started. However, not every sector has fully recovered. Bars (-55%), Books, Newspapers and Stationery (-39.1%), Department Stores (-17.1%), Fuel (-7.2%) are still below their February level. All other sectors now have sales greater than they had in February.

As the volume of in-person shopping increased with shops reopening, the proportion of total retail sales transacted online fell to 4.5% in July, compared with an online share of 6.7% in June.