Retail sales decline in April as car sales slump

Largest annual declines were seen in food, drinks, and specialist tobacco stores, which fell 7.9% year-on-year, CSO data shows

New car registrations for April were down 3.6% to 8,591 — compared to 8,912 registered last April.

Lacklustre car sales drove down the volume of retail sales during April, leading a decline of 0.9% compared to the same period last year, new data from the Central Statistics Office show.

According to the latest retail sales index, the overall volume of sales dropped by 0.9% in the year to April. However, when car sales are excluded, the sales volume actually grew by 0.2%.