THE dash by bargain hunters for money-saving deals is delivering some post-Christmas cheer to the struggling retail sector.

Retail Ireland, the group that represents the Irish retail sector, today said that the post-Christmas sales are strong so far, but it remained cautious with regard to the outlook for 2011.

WELL over half of retailers surveyed expect employee numbers to fall in the coming months with many saying business is down by a third due to the weather.

The arctic weather is adding to the worries of the crippled retail sector, as would-be Christmas shoppers stay at home.

Retail Ireland, the IBEC group that represents the retail sector, today welcomed the seizure of two million smuggled cigarettes at Rosslare Harbour yesterday.

Retail Ireland, the IBEC group that represents the retail sector, have said that new CSO retail sales figures for September show that the sector is still in negative territory.

Cross-border shoppers spent €418m in the North over the last year, it emerged today.

CONSUMERS are planning to beat the recession blues with a Christmas spending splurge that would see them pour €1.5 billion into festive gifts, food and entertainment.

Retailers have hit back at The National Consumer Agency accusing it of trying to justify its own existence.

Retail Ireland, the IBEC group that represents the Irish retail sector, have said that the UK VAT rate increase is "a further nail in the coffin of cross-border shopping".

Almost a third of retailers expect sales to fall over the next three months, according to a new survey from Retail Ireland, but the same proportion are more confident about their business outlook.

FEWER than 20% of Irish retail managers rate their business as being in good shape, but over a third of them are more confident about their future prospects than they were at the end of the first quarter of the year.

Around 40% of retailers expect employee numbers to fall over the next three months, new research revealed today.

RETAIL Ireland, the IBEC group representing the sector, said over half of participants in a new survey believe the climate for the Irish retail sector continues to remain weak and could get worse.

The volume of retail sales in Ireland fell by 4.8% in January 2010 compared to January 2009, new figures from the CSO today revealed, while the value of retail sales decreased by 8.4%.

Opposition politicians tonight attacked the Government for failing to rein in state-controlled costs despite consumer prices falling for 13 months in a row.

GOVERNMENT revenues are continuing to plummet, with the tax take for January down about €660 million, or almost 18%, on the same month last year.

The spell of bad weather afflicting the country has resulted in a 38% drop in retail sales, according to a survey by Retail Ireland, the IBEC group that represents the Irish retail sector.

IT seems the icy weather put off many shoppers from hunting for a post-Christmas bargain last weekend.

THE reduction in excise duty on alcohol will go a little way towards reducing the numbers of Republic- based shoppers going North for bargains and will greatly aid Irish retailers, according to the IBEC-affiliated industry representative body, Retail Ireland.

Food and Drink Industry Ireland (FDII) has welcomed the reduction in excise duty on alcohol saying that it would "have a positive benefit on the Irish food and drink industry".

Finance Minister Brian Lenihan was this morning preparing to deliver his third budget in 14 months and one that is being widely regarded as the most important of a generation.

AROUND 11,000 jobs could be axed because of cross-border spending sprees, business chiefs have claimed.

Around 11,000 jobs could be axed because of cross-border spending sprees, business chiefs claimed today.

A retail job is lost here for every 150 shoppers who spend in the North, it was claimed today.

Local authorities were urged today to slash commercial rates by a fifth to help boost struggling businesses.

Retail Ireland has said that new CSO retail sales figures show the sector remains under serious pressure.

Torlach Denihan, Director of Retail Ireland, has said that there must be no rise in taxes for households following the publication of the report of the Commission on Taxation.

Retailers today called for commercial rates to be cut by at least a fifth during the economic downturn.

SPENDING on clothes, furniture and cars has plunged by record levels as a growing band of shoppers opt to pay off debt rather than splash their cash.

CONSUMER spending will fall by a minimum of 6%-7% this year in the aftermath of Tuesday’s emergency Budget, Retail Ireland warned yesterday.

URGENT action is needed to stimulate consumer spending south of the border, according to Retail Ireland who said the exodus of shoppers to the North will cost 25,000 jobs this year.

Urgent action is needed to stop shoppers going north of the border, it was claimed today.

BUSINESS leaders in Dublin have warned there will be job cuts after the city council voted through stiff increases in commercial rates for companies and shops.

RETAILERS will be banned from giving discounts to customers who pay by cash rather than credit cards under new legislation, Retail Ireland has warned.

CONSUMERS and farmers are being ripped off with a mark-up of more than 200% on basic foodstuffs between the farm gate and the supermarket shelf, Fine Gael claimed yesterday.

RETAILERS have accused the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association of grossly misleading consumers on lamb prices.

BOOMING demand for fake blood, joke teeth and witches’ hats is making Hallowe’en a serious rival to Easter and St Valentine’s Day, shopkeepers said last night.

NEWLY appointed psychiatrists have no option but to prescribe drugs for their patients because they lack the basic services they need to do their job properly, a conference heard yesterday.