Irish furniture and lighting sales recorded annual growth in March 2025, according to new figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), despite a broader downturn in overall retail volumes.
The CSO's Retail Sales Index showed that while total retail volumes declined by 0.9% month-on-month and 1.3% compared to March 2024, furniture and lighting bucked the trend. Volume sales in the category remained unchanged from February but rose by 3.8% year-on-year. The value of sales increased by 4.4% month-on-month and 2% annually.
When excluding motor trades, the overall volume of retail sales remained flat on a monthly basis but was up 1.4% compared to the same month last year. However, the overall value of retail sales fell by 0.8% in March and was down 1.1% year-on-year.
Online sales by Irish-registered companies accounted for 4.9% of total retail transactions in March 2025, slightly up from 4.8% in February but below the 5.1% recorded in March 2024.
Tommy Allen, Statistician in the Enterprise Statistics Division at the CSO, noted the general retail decline, stating: 'The volume of Retail Sales fell by 0.9% in March 2025 when compared with February 2025 on a seasonally adjusted basis. On an annual basis, retail volumes were 1.3% lower than in March 2024.'
The performance of the furniture and lighting sector stands out as a positive signal for the home furnishings market, despite a wider cooling in retail momentum.
Source: www.bigfurnituregroup.com