Ireland Retail Sales Rise 0.7%

(RTTNews) - Ireland's retail sales increased in February after remaining flat in the previous month, preliminary data from the Central Statistics Office showed on Friday.

The volume of retail sales rose a seasonally adjusted 0.7 percent month-on-month in February versus a stagnant change in January.

Among categories, the largest monthly growth was observed in sales of pharmaceuticals and medical and cosmetic articles, which surged by 10.5 percent.

An 8.2 percent more demand was seen at department stores, and fuel sales climbed by 2.0 percent. Meanwhile, sales of motor trades were 4.6 percent lower.

On a yearly basis, retail sales rose 1.8 percent in February, following a 0.5 percent increase a month ago.

Data showed that the sales value increased 0.9 percent monthly and by 1.6 percent yearly in February.