Greed ‘to blame for drink sales dip’

Conor Keane, Business Correspondent

Goodbody Stockbrokers economist Dermot O’Leary said retail sectors like food that have kept a lid on prices have been rewarded with increased sales volumes. The Retail Sales Index, published yesterday by the Central Statistics Office, show consumers splashed out on new cars in January, driving sales volumes up by 5.3%.

Despite car sales of close to 27,000, retail sales excluding cars were up 3.8% in the year to the end of January.