Consumer spend falls for two months in a row

Consumer spending levels dropped for the second consecutive month in February as the Government’s budget measures continued to alter household financial priorities.

CSO figures show that spending volumes fell by 0.3% last month, following a 4.1% decline in January.

On a year-on-year basis, February spending was down by 1.9%. In value terms, sales were down by 0.1% on a monthly basis and by 1.8% year-on-year.