Bars and restaurants suffered a sharp decline in sales through March as price inflation crimped consumer spending.

Overall, retail sales increased by 0.6% in March over the previous month, and on an annual basis, retail volumes were 2.9% higher than in March 2021.

However, there were large monthly decreases in the volume of sales for Bars (-19.6%), Electrical Goods (-15.8%) and restaurants (-10.3%).

Monthly volume increases in sales were recorded in Pharmaceuticals, Medical & Cosmetic Articles (+9.9%), Department Stores (+7.4%), Supermarkets (+2.0%) and Hardware (+1.5%).

Bar sales through March were 40.4% lower than their pre-COVID-19 level in February 2020.

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Compared to February 2020 (pre-Covid), the volume of retail sales in March 2022 was 4.4% higher. The highest increases were seen in Clothing & Footwear (+45.4%), Pharmaceuticals, Medical & Cosmetic Articles (+20.6%), Hardware (+18.5%) and Furniture & Lighting (+10.4%).

The largest decreases in the volume of sales in March 2022 when compared to February 2020 levels were Bars (-40.4%), Books, Newspapers & Stationery (-15.6%), Fuel (-14.2%) and Motor Trades (-11.9%).

When Motor Trades are excluded, the volume of retail sales rose by 0.6% in March over the previous month and increased by 9.4% when compared to March 2021.

The proportion of retail sales transacted online from Irish registered companies was 5.0% in March 2022 compared to 4.5% in February 2022 and 11.1% in March 2021.

The CSO said that the impact of price changes is reflected in the difference between value and volume.

In Fuel for example, the value of sales rose by 35.0% in the year to March 2022 while the volume rose by just 1.9% over the same period.