Bar sales jump in February but remain 15% lower than pre-covid levels

Retail bar sales saw the largest monthly and yearly increases compared to other retail areas. Photo credit: Johnny Green/PA Wire

Sales in pubs and bars have recorded the largest annual increase in February compared to other retail areas but are still lagging behind pre-covid levels, new figures from the Central Statistics Office show.

Provisional retail sales index figures from February show that the total volume of overall sales rose 0.7% compared to January — the second monthly increase in a row — and by 3.6% compared to February 2022.