Irish consumers increased their spending in the fourth quarter, according to statistics released today by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
The latest monthly retail sales index published by the CSO shows that the volume of retail sales increased by 4.2 per cent in November 2004 compared to November 2003. There was a monthly increase of 2.8 per cent.
If car sales are excluded, the annual increase was 5.1 per cent and the monthly change increased by 1.9 per cent.
October 2004 is the latest month for which final detailed figures are available.
In the three-month period between August and October 2004, the largest increase in sales volumes was in electric goods which rose 3.7 per cent.
The largest decrease in the volume of sales was in footwear and leather - which fell by 3.8 per cent.