THE LATEST CONSUMER figures show the terrible July weather did not deter people from heading out on the town and spending their hard-earned cash.
Visa Europe’s Irish consumer spending index revealed consumer spend on all payment types increased by more than 6% year-on-year in July.
Despite the continued poor weather in July, the rise in Irish consumer spending was unabated. Household spending increased sharply in a number of areas including on hotels, restaurants and bars ( up 7.9%) and recreation and culture (up 12%).
Irish consumers appear to be rediscovering their style as spending on clothing and footwear was notable, experiencing nine months of consecutive increases. In this sector there has been a year-on-year rise of 7.8%.
Conor Langford, Country Manager, Ireland, Visa Europe said economic growth surpassed expectations over the last six months.
“Our July data shows that despite the bad weather across the country in July, consumers have remained very bright in their outlook. People have been enjoying their nights out, whether it’s on the town in restaurants or pubs, or escaping the bad weather by catching a movie in the cinema,” he said.
A trend of fashion makeovers is also underway, with spending on clothing and shoes increasing for the ninth month in a row as people pick up swimwear for holidays abroad and uniforms for children returning to school in September.
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