2018.03.2807:00:00UTC+00Ireland Retail Sales Fall For Third Month

Ireland's retail sales declined for the third straight month in February, preliminary figures from the Central Statistics Office showed Wednesday.

The volume of retail sales dropped 0.2 percent month-over-month in February, following a 0.4 percent decrease in January.

The sectors with the largest monthly volume decreases were books, newspapers & stationery and food, beverages & tobacco.

Excluding motor trades, the volume of retail sales registered an increase of 0.6 percent.

On a yearly basis, retail sales growth accelerated to 2.0 percent in February from 1.6 percent in the prior month.

The value of retail sales fell 2.0 percent monthly in February, while it rose 0.4 percent from a year earlier.