SFA: Spending to exceed €4bn this Christmas

The Director of the Small Firms Association, Pat Delaney, has said that consumer spending over the Christmas season will exceed €4bn for the first time.

Mr Delaney said that spending for Christmas 2005 will increase by over 10%.

Full employment, population growth, low interest rates, strong economic growth and the feel good factor created by the imminent maturity of SSIA savings means that Christmas 2005 looks set to break many records.

On Christmas Eve the hourly spend will be in excess €22m per hour, he said

Mr Delaney called on all sections of Irish society to make a special effort to buy Irish this Christmas.

Mr Delaney said: "If everyone spent just €100 extra on Irish products the result would be an extra spend of over €200m on Irish made products during Christmas."