Latest news with #AdrianMoynihan
Extra.ie
5 days ago
- Business
- Extra.ie
Sonic Boom! - Record card transactions as Metallica fans nab tickets
Fans of the heavy metal band Metallica helped push credit card transactions to a new record last month. A surge in ticket sales for the Los Angeles rockers, who play two concerts in Dublin next year, helped to drive online card sales to a new high of 80 million purchases in Ireland. Added to this were hotel room bookings, the staging of the Bloom festival in the Phoenix Park and a spell of sunny weather, which also boosted the pub spend by 10% during the month. AIB's Adrian Moynihan said: 'Consumer spending continued to grow in May. 'It was a record month for card transactions. Overall, spend was up 9% year-on-year. Kirk Hammett, Lars Ulrich, James Hetfield and Robert Trujillo of Metallica. Pic:'In particular, May was a busy month for concert ticket transactions with the Metallica concert going on sale towards the end of the month.' Total spending from January to May was up 9% on last year, showing consumer confidence remains strong. Heavy metal fans helped spark a surge in concert ticket sales on May 30, as tickets went on general sale for Metallica's two Aviva Stadium concerts in June next year. Ticket sales were 76% above average on the day, thanks to the band's devoted fan base. The release of movies Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning and Lilo & Stitch helped push cinema ticket sales up 17% year-on-year, while hotel spending was up 8%. Pic:for Paramount Pictures The data was compiled from 80 million card transactions carried out by AIB customers, both in-store and online, last month. Spending in pubs was up 10% month-on-month, with the largest increase in Limerick, where it was up 16%. Louth and Longford both saw increases of 15%, while the smallest increases were in Wicklow, Roscommon, and Carlow, at 7%. Mr Moynihan added: 'The good weather and events such as the Women's Mini Marathon also had a positive impact on pub and hotel spend, with the hotel sector having its busiest day of the year so far on May 31, the day of the race. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile 'Grocery spending continues to rise, with an 8% increase year-on-year, and people are enjoying spending time at home and in the garden, as DIY and hardware spend continues to stay strong, with a 6% increase on the same month last year.' The spend on hardware increased 6% year-on-year and 3% month-on-month. The electric vehicle charging spend also increased, up 83% year-on-year, while the clothing spend rose 8% month-on-month. Grocery spending increased 8% year-on-year and 4% month on month, with the largest monthly increases in Longford, Monaghan and Galway. 'This information shows consumer confidence remains strong and is vital for businesses, enabling them to plan for both peak and off-peak periods throughout the year to effectively meet their customers' needs,' said Mr Moynihan.
RTÉ News
5 days ago
- Business
- RTÉ News
Record 80 million card transactions in May
The latest AIB Spend Trend for May shows that overall spending increased 9% year on year and 2% month on month. The cumulative spend from January to May 2025 is also up 9% when compared with the same time in 2024, indicating that consumer confidence remains strong. According to the figures, May broke records for the most card transactions in a month, with just over 80 million online and in-store transactions by AIB customers. The data shows that grocery spending continues to rise, with an 8% increase year on year. Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, AIB Head of Consumer Adrian Moynihan said the increase is a combination of inflation and more spending. "If you look at inflation at 1.5% or 2% over the course of this year versus what we're seeing come through in our numbers which is grocery spend up by 8%, inflation is a factor," said Mr Moynihan. "But what we are seeing is increasing consumer spend across groceries in particular. That's something that has been consistent throughout the course of this year so far as well." Good weather and big events also had a part to play in boosting spending last month. Ticket transactions on the 30 May were 76% above average on the day as Metallica tickets for their 2026 concert went on sale. Mr Moynihan said since they started conducting this report they've seen that both fine and bad weather have an impact on spend. "When we had the storms earlier this year, we could see a big increase in hardware as people did repairs to homes and businesses, and equally, when there's good weather, we can see it as well"," he said. "We saw it for example in May with pub spending up by about 10%, that beer garden type weather certainly kicked through and also hardware was up by 3% in May as well as people spent more time in gardens and on DIY," he added. There also was an 8% month on month increase in spending on clothes, with just over a quarter of those buying them aged between 35 and 44. Almost three quarters of all clothes were bought by women. People in Cavan spent the most on clothes per transaction (€72.59), while people in Westmeath spent the least (€58.94).
The Journal
5 days ago
- Business
- The Journal
Metallica ticket sales and pints: Record number of 80m card transactions last month
LAST MONTH BROKE records for the most card transactions in a month, with just over 80m in May, AIB has said. Overall spending for May increased 9% year on year and 2% month on month, according to AIB data. The cumulative spend from January to May 2025 is also up 9% when compared with the same period in 2024. AIB said that this indicates that consumer confidence remains strong. The bank said that Metallica fans sparked a surge in ticket transactions at the end of the month. Tickets went on sale for the band's two day stint in the Aviva Stadium in June of next year on 30 May; ticket transactions were up 76% on the average that day, the bank said. Cinema spend increased 17% year on year, while spend in hotels increased 8% in the same time period. AIB said that Saturday 31 May was the 'best day of the year' for hotel spend, particularly in Dublin, and said it was likely due to Bloom and the VHI Women's Mini-Marathon. Advertisement Consumers' spend in pubs across Ireland increased 10% month on month. The largest increase in spend is attributed to Limerick (16%), followed by Louth and Longford (15%). The smallest increase was in Wicklow, Roscommon, and Carlow, whose spend increased by 7%. The 'beer garden weather' has been cited as a factor in the increase. Hardware spend increased 6% year on year and 3% month on month. Electric vehicle charging increased 83% year on year. People in Cavan spent the most on clothes per transaction last month – €72.59 – as clothing spend increased 8% month on month. Grocery spend increased 8% year on year and 4% month on month. The largest monthly increase was 6% in counties Longford, Monaghan, and Galway. The smaller increase, 3%, was in counties Carlow, Laois, and Wicklow. Head of Consumer at AIB, Adrian Moynihan, said, 'This information shows consumer confidence remains strong and is vital for businesses, enabling them to plan for both peak and off-peak periods throughout the year to effectively meet their customers' needs.' The data was compiled from 80m card transactions carried out by AIB customers in store and online during May 2025 and has been anonymised and aggregated. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Examiner
6 days ago
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Consumer spending up 9% in May
Consumer spending during May increased by 9%, compared to the same period last year, driven by additional spending on hotels, pubs, and concert tickets, data from AIB's Spend Trend shows. According to the data, spending in hotels increased 8% year-on-year with Saturday, May 31, being the best day of the year for the sector, particularly in Dublin, likely driven by events such as Bloom and the VHI Women's Mini-Marathon. Spending in pubs also increased 10% month-on-month, with the largest increase in spend in Limerick, up 16%, followed by Louth and Longford, up 15%. The smallest increases were recorded in Wicklow, Roscommon, and Carlow, all of which were up 7%. There was also a surge in ticket purchases on Friday, May 30, as Metallica tickets went on general sale for their two day Aviva Stadium concerts in June 2026. Ticket transactions were 76% above average on the day. In addition, spending in cinemas increased 17%, compared to last year, with the release of two summer blockbusters Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning and Lilo and Stitch. Other areas which saw an increase in spending during the month include groceries, which increased by 8% year on year; and hardware, up 6% year-on-year. Spending on electric car charging increased 83% year-on-year. During the first five months of the year, overall consumer spending is also up 9% compared to the same period in 2024. Adrian Moynihan, the head of consumer at AIB, said the increased spending by customers shows 'consumer confidence remains strong and is vital for businesses, enabling them to plan for both peak and off-peak periods throughout the year to effectively meet their customers' needs'. In comparison to April, spending on clothing increased by 8% during May — with 73% of all clothing spending by women and 58% of it was in shops. During the month, people in Cavan spent the most on clothes per transaction at €72.59, while people in Westmeath spent the least at €58.94. The month of May also broke records for most card transactions by AIB customers with just over 80m.
RTÉ News
12-05-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
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.
