The main "January sales" rush will not start until next Wednesday, but some stores are beginning their sales even before Christmas.
Vero Moda's sale in Dublin begins today with 80 per cent of stock reduced to half price. Earlier this week, Laura Ashley and DID Electrical began their sales.
Clarke's shoe shops phased in their sale over the month of December. But the majority of shops are waiting until after Christmas. Most of the sales begin on Wednesday, among them those at A-Wear, Boyers, Brown Thomas, Clerys, Debenhams, Marks and Spencers, Heatons, and Habitat. Arnotts and Shaws begin a day later on December 28th, while the sale at Roches Stores starts on January 11th.
Mr Tom Coffey of the Dublin City Centre Business Association said the Christmas period this year began in November. "Sales have been steady for the past two months with no last minute panic rush yet. A lot of stock is now running out," he said.
The year to date has been a good one, with an 11-12 per cent increase in sales on last year in city-centre shops, according to Mr Coffey. This compares with an average annual increase of 8 per cent for the past decade.