Fashion pulse: Ireland — April 2026

Consumer prices (April)

Headline CPI in Ireland edged up to +3.7 percent year-on-year in April 2026 from +3.6 percent in March, per Ireland's Central Statistics Office (CSO). Clothing and footwear stayed among the largest-increase divisions, running in high single digits at around plus 8 percent year-on-year per the CSO, easing modestly from a roughly plus 9 percent rate in March.

The April reading caps a striking reversal: on an annual basis, Irish clothing prices climbed from outright deflation in mid-2025 — minus 1.9 percent in May, minus 2.4 percent in July — to strong inflation by year-end (plus 5.7 percent in December), and the annual rate has stayed elevated since (month-on-month, clothing typically dips in spring after the seasonal index peak). Ireland retains one of the steepest fashion-price gradients of any eurozone market, the opposite of the mild clothing deflation that characterised the country through much of the 2010s.

Retail sector (April)

Irish retail softened in April. Total retail sales volume fell to minus 0.5 percent year-on-year in April 2026 per Ireland's Central Statistics Office (CSO), reversing March's plus 1.6 percent — a swing that partly reflects a negative Easter calendar effect, since Easter fell on 5 April in 2026 versus 20 April in 2025, deflating the year-ago comparison. Fashion fared worse than the total: the CSO's clothing, footwear and textiles volume fell around minus 3.5 percent year-on-year in March (from minus 2.5 percent in February), so apparel volumes were already declining before the April calendar drag.

Consumer sentiment (April)

The Credit Union Consumer Sentiment Index fell to 53.3 in April from 56.7 in March — a fresh low — according to Core Research, which produces the index for the Irish League of Credit Unions. It then rebounded to 59.4 in May as energy costs eased, though it remains far below its long-term average near 83. The index continues the methodology of the long-running Irish consumer-sentiment series begun in 1996 (formerly published with KBC and the ESRI), now produced by Core Research — a close successor that allows broad long-run comparison rather than a perfectly unbroken numerical series.

Macro context and currency

Irish unemployment eased to 4.8 percent in April from 5.0 percent in March per the CSO, among the lowest in the eurozone. The European Central Bank held its key rates through April. With UK retailers dominant on the Irish high street and US tourists a driver of premium fashion spend, the cross-rates matter more for Ireland than for most eurozone peers — the euro averaged 0.8693 against the pound and 1.1706 against the US dollar in April, firming against both.

What it means for fashion

Ireland's April story is stubbornly high fashion inflation meeting softening demand and a fresh sentiment low. Clothing and footwear is still among the largest contributors to Irish inflation at around plus 8 percent year-on-year, yet fashion retail volumes are falling — the CSO's clothing, footwear and textiles line was down around minus 3.5 percent year-on-year in March, and total retail slipped to minus 0.5 percent in April (partly an Easter effect) as consumer sentiment hit a fresh low of 53.3 before recovering in May.

For the UK retailers dominating the Irish high street — Marks & Spencer, Next, River Island and Irish-owned Penneys — plus Inditex and Brown Thomas at the premium end, the squeeze of high apparel prices against soft sentiment argues for tight inventory discipline and sharp value messaging. The euro's firmer tone against the pound and dollar is a modest help on imported stock.

Note: the figures in this article are based on different reporting periods. Some indicators are already available for April 2026, while others are reported with a time lag due to survey and publication cycles. This is common practice in official statistics and nevertheless allows for a reliable assessment of current market trends.