A consumer savings campaign is today launching its latest recruitment drive in the hope of negotiating better energy price deals for its members.

The five largest supermarkets tapped the lion’s share of the €10.85bn spent last year on groceries, an increase of 2.8% from 2017.

The Government must "show more teeth" when it comes to consumer issues and not rely on the EU to lead the way, a leading consumer advocate body has said.

Most of us in Ireland have the means to cover day to day costs and current commitments but a worryingly high number still struggle and most of us could do better when it comes to long-term planning.

This day seven weeks is New Year’s Day and anyone who has not applied before then for any tax rebates they are due from 2014 has missed the boat.

Concerns over a hard Brexit and the world economy have seen Irish consumer confidence slip to its lowest point in almost four years.

Housing, water and fuel costs account for almost a quarter of Irish households' total expenditure, new data shows.

Gráinne McGuinness offers some more consumer advice. This week she discusses being wary of gift cards.

A new Government bill would see gift cards have a minimum expiry date of five years.

If last month’s plans included a resolution or two, then chances are there was an online element to it, writes Gráinne McGuinness.

Households are borrowing €50m a month to buy big-ticket consumer items like cars, home improvements and holidays.

One third of consumers claim to have been overcharged for at least one of their household essentials last year.

The European Consumer Centre is advising people to exercise caution when buying holiday accommodation online.

Irish consumer confidence remained shaky last month with new car sales continuing their slide with a 24% year-on-year decline.

Head of Public Affairs and Communications at Retail Excellence, Lorraine Higgins today said that the “Irish retail industry has now entered recession based on the fact the industry is experiencing a third consecutive quarter of decline with fifteen of twenty sectors recording decreases in sales revenue”.

The cost of an Ulster fry has hit a three-year high.

SuperValu has gained an edge over its supermarket rivals just as the grocery market has slipped into deflation for the first time in two years.

Consumer advice with Gráinne McGuinness.

The latest data from Visa's Irish Consumer Spending Index shows a -0.7% year-on-year fall in consumer spending, compared with a +3.9% rise in January.

Ireland is the sixth most consumer confident country in Europe

Irish consumer spending is expected to grow by as much as 5%, in volume terms, this year, despite Brexit effects and monthly retail sales remaining erratic.

Irish people are among the best in Europe at switching energy supplier to get the best deal.

Consumers' outlook is at its highest level for seven months.

New figures from the CSO show there was no change in consumer prices last month - when compared to December 2015.

Christmas spending at UK supermarkets and weak sterling helped boost London’s Ftse 100 blue-chip index, which hit fresh record highs yesterday, as other European shares also ended slightly in positive territory.

British consumers are downbeat about the economy’s prospects next year, when higher inflation is likely to erode their spending power, a major survey showed, despite signs that growth has remained robust since June’s Brexit vote.