New Central Statistics Office figures show that retail sales slumped by 12.7% in March compared to February as all but essential shops closed during the month in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
This marked the largest monthly decrease since January 2009 and came on the back of a 53.1% drop in bar sales while sales of clothing, footwear and textiles tumbled by 49.2%.
The March figures also showed that car sales slowed by 30.7%, while sales of books, newspapers and stationery fell by 29.2% and department stores sales decreased by 25.8%.
The CSO's data captured the gradual shut down of most businesses last month to slow the spread of Covid-19/ But sales of food, beverages and tobacco in specialised stores (excluding