December retail sales show soaring prices take bite over Christmas

The cost-of-living crisis hit household spending over the festive season

The figures detailing the volume and the value of retail sales starkly show the fall-out of soaring prices for households over Christmas.

Bar sales surged in December from a year earlier, while sales at a number of retail outlets, including furniture and hardware, fell as the cost-of-living crisis hit household spending over Christmas.

Central Statistics Office figures show that retail sales in volume terms rose by 0.5% in December from December 2021, and were up by a meagre 0.1% when sales of motor cars are excluded from the calculations.