The electronics stores Currys and PC World blamed heavy competition for a 1 per cent dip in the group's Irish sales last year to €150.5 million.

Accounts for the year to the end of 2014 recently filed for DSG Retail Ireland, owned by UK giant Dixons, showed the group’s Irish losses widened by €1 million in the period to about €3.6 million.

The directors described the results as a "strong performance in a competitive and declining market". They said they would continue to seek ways to cut costs and driver savings across the group. The DSG group, which has since merged with Carphone Warehouse, employed about 647 staff across its network of stores in Ireland.

Since merging with Carphone last summer, the group has said its sales have taken off. In a note to stock markets following Christmas, it said seasonal sales in the UK and Ireland rose by 8 per cent.

In a January trading statement, it said its Christmas sales saw “a return to growth in laptops but tablet sales fell sharply”, while prepay phone sales continued to fall. It also noted growth in white goods and HD televisions. MARK PAUL