Consumers were busy shopping during the last 3 months of 2014.
Retailers had the best 4th quarter sales for seven years.
According to the Irish Retail Industry Sales Review, sales were up 4.2 per cent from October to December.
The jewellery sector was the star performer, with growth of almost 15 per cent.
While the fashion sector also had a productive three months, recording gains of 8.8 per cent.
Sean Murphy from Retail Excellence says some areas continue to decline:
