The value of retail sales increased by 7.8 per cent in October, compared to the same month last year, according to figures released by the Central Statistics Office. The volume of sale for the month was up 6.5 per cent over October 1997.

On a three month basis, which gives a more stable indication of recent underlying trends, the August-October volume figures show a 0.7 per cent decrease when compared with the three months ending July 1998.

For the three month-period ending September 1998, the volume of sales in the Chemist sector, the sector with the highest increase, was up 5.8 per cent on the previous three-month period. The largest decrease was in the other food, drink and tobacco sector, which showed a minus 4.8 per cent decrease.