Neil Johnston, Director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium has welcomed the recent quarterly sales figures from NISRA.
“An increase of 2.2% over the last quarter of 2022 at a time when Great Britain saw a decrease of 1.1% over the same quarter shows the resilience of the retail industry in Northern Ireland.
“Against a very challenging background these figures are reassuring. Given the high inflation throughout this period it is clear that retailers are having to run very hard to try to stand still.
“Retailers in Northern Ireland will continue to strive to deliver choice and value to consumers, however, the outlook is worrying. There is a lack of direction in government departments due the absence of an Executive and this is creating a less than positive framework and the devolved public finances in Northern Ireland are in poor shape. This could all impact on demand in the coming months.
“Consumers and businesses need positive, clear leadership when times are tough and that is not what is being delivered at present in NI.