Retail Ireland is urging the government to introduce new penalties for consumers who knowingly purchase illegal products, including illicit tobacco.

Buying Irish is important for consumers, but price is still the main priority.

A new study has found that the black market in Ireland is costing the economy €1.5bn every year.

Retail Ireland has welcomed today's retail figures from the CSO, but warned that the recovery remains very fragile.

Loyalists look set to delay plans to stage a rally in Dublin in protest at the lowering of the union flag above Belfast City Hall.

Retail Ireland has told a Dáil committee that full implementation of recommendations it recently made about tackling the black market economy could save the exchequer about €400m to €500m annually, and help create “tens of thousands of jobs” in retail.

A court is to decide tomorrow if a quartet of publicans, headed by night club entrepreneur John Reynolds, will foot the €100,000 legal costs bill for their unsuccessful bid to stop 'Masterchef' judge Dylan McGrath, getting a full public house license for his new restaurant.

Retail Ireland is calling for more gardaí to tackle retail crime and the black market.

Ibec has called for a “zero-tolerance” approach from the gardaí and the courts when it comes to tackling black economy, which it claims is costing the exchequer more than €860m a year in lost revenue.

The scale of bank card fraud is continuing to rise, with €25.7m being scammed by criminals off unsuspecting card holders last year.

FOUR out of five retail and food executives are optimistic about the coming year, according to a survey at the 2012 Checkout Conference at the Four Seasons Hotel, Dublin.

SMALL food producers are being prevented from expanding by a crosswind of the global downturn, commodity-cost volatility and lower consumer demand, according to an expert Rabobank analyst.

Finance Minister Michael Noonan has dismissed claims the economy will be hit by a cross border exodus of shoppers over the 2% VAT hike which will come into effect on January 1.

Retailers have demanded no hikes in excise duty as a survey showed a sixth of motorists plan to Christmas shop across the border.

IT was a case of all hands to the pumps when Amy Balfe gave birth to a baby girl at a Topaz petrol station.

RETAILERS have called on the Government to improve consumer confidence in the forthcoming budget.

Laundered diesel is costing the public purse as much as €150m every year, retailers said.

Irish owned fuels and convenience retailer Topaz has announced a deal with Limerick based food supplier Pallas Foods worth in the region of €24m over three years.

PHANTOM FM have been awarded the hotly-contested licence to run an alternative rock music station in Dublin.

THE Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) has confirmed that it has short-listed just two bidders for the licence to run a rock music station in Dublin.

SOME of Ireland’s biggest names in the entertainment industry are lining up for a battle to win a licence to run a rock music station in Dublin.

SOME of the biggest names in Irish music have emerged as the backers of a bid for a radio licence in Dublin.

THE woman who died of Legionnaire’s disease was diagnosed with the condition six days before her death, it emerged last night.