Consumer spending levels up 11% in April
April saw continued strong consumer spending levels, up 11% on the same time last year, the latest AIB Spend Trend survey reveals, with online spending rising by 16% while in-store spend was up 6%.
AIB said that spending in cinemas over the Easter holidays jumped by 47% compared to April 2024, mainly driven by "A Minecraft Movie" and likely helped by the wet weather over the school break.
AIB noted that the best day of the month for cinema spend was Saturday April 5, which was the opening weekend for "A Minecraft Movie".
The bank also noted positive indicators for tourism and hospitality as spend in hotels increased by 11% year on year, while restaurant spend also rose, up 10% year on year.
It was also a strong month for car rental with spend up 10% year on year, and the number of transactions up 19%. But the average transaction size fell from €115 to €106, the AIB survey noted.
Airline spend was also down 8% over 12 months with the average online airline transaction at €247 in April.
Today's survey shows that April was a strong month for grocery spend which was up 8% year on year.
AIB noted that people in Offaly, Cavan and Roscommon spent the most on groceries per transaction while people in Waterford, Louth and Dublin spent the least.
Meanwhile, Mayo (47%), Leitrim (48%) and Roscommon (48%) spend the least online, while Dublin (61%), Louth (58%) and Kildare (55%) spend the most online.
AIB noted that Easter Sunday (April 20) had the lowest card spend of any day so far in 2025.
Adrian Moynihan, Head of Consumer at AIB, said that it is very positive to see continued strong consumer spend levels in April, up 11% on the same period last year.
"With the Easter holidays traditionally a busy time for hotels and restaurants as people take advantage of the break, April saw strong spending increases across the hospitality sector which is a positive sign for businesses," he said.
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