Sales in Pubs and Bars

The effect on employment has been mirrored by the impact on sales. Whilst the relative importance of bars to the Irish economy has been in long-term decline, the rate of this decline sharply accelerates at the time of the smoking ban.

The chart below uses Irish CSO data to show this slow but steady reduction through a trendline from January 2001 to March 2004. For 17 of the 41 months before the ban the figures were below the trend line. After the ban every month was below the trendline – on average by about 7%.

Value Indices of Retail Sales, Seasonally Adjusted for Bar Vs All Business (Excl Motor Trade)