Official figures show that the volume of retail sales fell by 4.5% overall last year, the biggest drop in sales since 1982, despite a slight pick-up in December.
The Central Statistics Office said the volume of sales in December rose by 0.5% from November. But there was an annual decrease of 8.3%, unchanged from the November figure, which was the worst since 1984.
For the final three months of the year, sales were down 8% compared with the same period in 2007. The CSO figures are adjusted to take seasonal factors into account.
A breakdown of the December figures showed a mixed picture, with a 5.7% increase in food and drink sales from November and a 9.3% jump in furniture and lighting. Bar sales also moved up 2%. Sales of hardware, paints and glass dropped by 9.2%, however.
