Official figures show that consumer spending remained weak in January despite a slight pick-up in some sectors.
The Central Statistics Office said the volume of sales fell 3.8% from December, but was was up 4.6% compared with January last year.
Retail sales figures have been distorted by big swings in car sales over the past couple of years, so many economists prefer to focus on the figure which excludes this sector. Excluding motors, sales volumes actually rose 2.7% from December, though they are down 1.2% compared with a year earlier.
A breakdown shows that motor sales fell back 3.5% in January from the previous month, though they are still almost 24% ahead over 12 months. Department store sales dropped by 12% in January, but all other categories showed monthly increases.
Furniture and lighting sales rose 9.3% in the month, while hardware, paints and glass edged up 1.2%. Bar sales rose 1.3%, though they are still down 7.5% over 12 months.
The value of sales, which takes prices into account, fell by 1.5% from December but rose 4% compared with January last year.
