Bar sales down by 12% as retail also dips

BAR sales are down almost 12% in the last 12 months, with new figures showing consumers are still reluctant to spend.

Sales of electrical goods, clothing and purchases at department stores, however, all showed a pick-up.

Figures from the CSO show the volume of retail sales fell by 0.9% last month from August, leading to an annual drop of 0.3%.