Retail sales in Ireland decreased by 0.8% month-over-month in February 2026, reversing an upwardly revised 1.8% rise in the previous month. This marked the biggest fall since August 2025, mainly due to lower sales of clothing, footwear, and textiles (-4.4%), hardware, paints, and glass (-3.6%), and motor trades (-1.4%). Meanwhile, the strongest gains were seen in pharmaceuticals, medical and cosmetic articles (+6.4%), department stores (+1.1%), and books, newspapers, and stationery (+1.0%). On a yearly basis, retail trade rose by 0.8%, slowing from an upwardly 3.4% growth in January.