Hardware and motor sales lead an increase in April retail figures

April saw the largest annual sales increase but was compared with a historically low base as full impact of the first lockdown took hold

Catherine Street and Thomas Street in Limerick's city centre this week. May saw the full reopening of the retail sector. Picture: Brian Arthur

A surge in the sale of motor vehicles, furniture and hardware items helped April to the largest ever increase in sales while the slump experienced by the bar and restaurant sector continued.

Figures from the Central Statistics Office show sales in April jumped by 90.1% compared to April of last year when much of the retail sector was closed as the country entered its first lockdown. Compared to March of this year, the CSO figures show a 7.4% increase.

However, when motor trades are excluded, the figures are not as dramatic, decreasing 4.1% monthly and increasing 27.6% annually. The figures for April cover the final month of the current lockdown and was followed by the lifting of restrictions on retail this month.

"This annual increase is the highest on record, but caution should be exercised when interpreting the annual change as the comparison is with a historically low base," CSO statistician Stephanie Kelleher said.

"Comparing April 2021 with the same period two years ago (April 2019) shows the volume of retail sales increased by 7.1%."

In April 2021, the list of essential retail allowed to remain open was broader than was the case in April 2020 during the first lockdown. "By the third lockdown, consumers and retailers had become more accustomed to the restricted market conditions," Ms Kelleher said.

The sectors with the highest annual increases were furniture & lighting (+694%), motor trades (+576%) and hardware, paints and glass (+166%). While these annual increases look impressive, they reflect a recovery from the lows of last year. The food business sector remained open throughout and their annual increase was more modest with non-specialised stores including supermarkets increasing sales by 3.2% and specialised food, beverages and tobacco stores seeing a 9.7% increase.

A number of retail sectors in April continued to feel the impact of the pandemic with sales level significantly below those of April 2019. 

Bar sales in April were down 88% compared to April 2019, department stores were down 73.4%, clothing, footwear and textiles were down 68.2% while books, newspapers and stationery are down 50.7%.

The CSO retail figures for May will be closely examined to see how consumers responded to the lifting of restrictions and how significant the pent-up demand for products is.