Retail trade - May 2023

In May 2023 estimates for seasonally adjusted index of value sales increased by 0.7% in the month on month series and volume grew by 0.2%.

In the three months to May 2023 value of sales was up 0.9%, whereas volume of sales decreased by 0.6% when compared with the previous three-month period.

In May 2023 value of retail trade continued to grow for the 27th month in a row in the year on year series, rising by 3.0%, while volume sales fell by 4.7%.

In May 2023, when compared with the same month a year earlier, large-scale distribution was up 6.5%, small-scale distribution was down 0.6% and non-store retail sales grew by 0.9%.

Online sales rose by 1.5% in May 2023 when compared with May 2022.

Looking at the value of sales for non-food products, data outlined a mixed picture across different categories in the year on year series. The strongest growths were reported for cosmetic and toilet articles (+6.6%) and computers and telecommunications equipment (+6.0%). The largest falls were reported for shoes, leather goods and travel items (-9.0%) and clothing (-3.8%).