Retailers having to adapt fast as shoppers navigate latest restrictions

Dining has also seen a boost.

But consumer behaviour has changed, Mr Nugent said, with customers now “coming out with their list, with their mission” and not lingering as long in stores.

“Last year there was a lot of pent-up demand, we were coming out of that circuit-breaker lockdown, it was almost a sense of celebration. This year people are out and about, but are a little bit more cautious.” Christmas shopping also started earlier this year, Mr Nugent said, largely because “there was a lot of talk in the media about potential supply issues”.

Wyon Stansfeld, of Pinocchio’s Toys and Gifts, near the English Market in Cork city centre, says overall trade has been “very good”.

“The restrictions haven’t really made any great difference. Footfall is way ahead of last year and way, way ahead of 2019,” he said.

“There’s definitely a feeling of ‘we must support local’ and in Cork, we’re very much an icon.”

Pinocchio’s biggest sellers this year include train sets, puzzles and Danish-designed Maileg mouse figurines. But delivery delays are an issue, even with supplies coming from continental Europe.

“Normally we would be able to order now and guarantee it for Christmas week. You wouldn’t guarantee it now,” said Mr Stansfeld.

The ‘buy local’ call to arms has also been helpful for the Irish Design Shop, which sells jewellery, art and crafts not far from Dublin’s Grafton Street.

“We are finding it really busy,” said co-owner Laura Caffrey. “There is a drive to buy Irish, so we’re lucky in that way.”

Online sales have been “consistent” she said, with more people also choosing to order online and pick up in store. But she has noticed a fall-off in night-time revelry in town.

“Since the new restrictions came in, the only thing we noticed is people don’t seem to be at the bars and restaurants as much in the evenings,” she said.

The ‘work from home’ order has affected the Dublin city centre branch of bookseller Dubray, despite a significant pick-up in its branches around Ireland.

“During the height of the pandemic, a lot of our suburban shops really came into their own,” said Dubray’s general manager Maria Dickenson. “A lot of Grafton Street trade would be office people, and that hasn’t come back.”

Across the business, average transaction value is higher than it was in 2019 and sales volumes are 6pc up this year on 2020, Ms Dickenson said, with eight out of the top 10 best-selling books this year being written by Irish authors.

“People are shopping in a more determined way. They are coming less frequently and spending more.”

But Brendan Breathnach, owner of Bowling & Market women’s fashion store in Galway city, said the raft of new restrictions announced in mid-November “didn’t really help” shops like his.

“A week or two before Black Friday, they put the fear of God into everybody. I think people held back and people started returning things,” he said. “People stayed out of town for a couple of weeks.”

October was a good month, he said, but current sales are “a little bit slow” for the time of year. Small boutiques have been particularly affected by cancelled Christmas parties and nightclubs closing, as people no longer feel the need to dress up.

“I still love what I do, but Galway city really lost a lot of business with the pandemic. In retail, the new growth seems to be coming from coffee shops and takeaway food.”

New data from online payments provider Revolut shows the majority of Black Friday spending was carried out in person, despite new Covid measures being announced just days earlier

However, economist Jim Power, consultant for the ‘Champion Green’ campaign to support local businesses, said the new restrictions “pose a massive challenge” to some vulnerable retailers, with department stores, books and newspaper sales still way down on 2019 levels.

He says internet shoppers could add €500m to the economy if just 11pc more purchasing is done online with Irish retailers.

“It is clear and very concerning that parts of the retail sector have been hit very badly by the pandemic and the consequent restrictions put in place to protect the health of the nation,” he said.

“Consumers should try to remember that our behaviour in the coming weeks, and thereafter, will have profound implications for the future of local retail and domestic economic recovery.”