Bar sales steady for February, down 5% on year

The volume of retail sales increased by 2.6% in February, compared to the same month in 2003, though sales fell by 0.4% in the month, according to latest figures from the Central Statistics Office.

However, the office said if motor trades were excluded the annual increase was 0.9% and there was a monthly increase of 4.1%. Bar sales were unchanged in February and are down 5% on the year.