Publicans slash prices to offset drop in sales

PUBLICANS cut the price of soft drinks and some food items as they tried to stem a 5% drop in sales in the last 12 months.

The Retail Sales Index compiled, by the Central Statistics Office, shows that bar sales volumes did not change from January to February, but that the turnover in Irish bars fell by 0.2%.

The CSO said this can, in the main, be attributed to a small fall in the price of soft drinks and to a lesser extent in bar food. While sales volumes in bars fell by 5% in the 12 months to February, the value of bar sales fell by just 2.3% as publicans increased prices in a bid to maintain profits.