Poor summer leads hot drink sales to soften retail decline

The digital switchover and sales of hot drinks in July during yet another “Irish summer” were among the notable exceptions as retail sales continue to fall.

The Irish Retail Industry Performance Review for the third quarter of this year, published by Retail Excellence Ireland, shows sectors such as grocery, pharmacy, and hot beverages enjoyed a “reasonable trading period”, but that the bad summer weather hit areas such as ladies’ fashion and garden centres.

The period from July to September marked the 14th consecutive quarter of sales decline, with September the worst month of the quarter.