Retail sales rose by more than 6 per cent in December, driven by strong spending in furniture and lighting, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, and clothing and footwear.

Department stores also saw a lift in sales, with the index showing a 6.7 per cent increase year on year.

The overall index for the volume of reatil sales rose by 6.3 per cent in December, a figure that fell to 5.9 per cent when the volatile motor trade was excluded.

But a strong performance in November saw monthly sales fall by 0.7 per cent in December as electrical goods fell by 12.6 per cent, and department stores showed a decline of 5 per cent. Throughout the year, retail sales rose by 8.3 per cent compared with the 2014 figures.

In value terms, the annual figures rose 3.5 per cent, with month on month value declining 0.8 per cent.

With the November figures now incorporating the "Black Friday" and "Cyber Monday" shopping days, it is likely that Christmas shopping was brought forward into November," Goodbody's Juliet Tennent said, noting that the vartegories showing the largest increases in November were the likely beneficiaries of Black Friday. "The recovery in retail sales accelerated in 2015...That said, total sales volumes remain almost 8 per cent below their previous peak level in 2008."