August card spending goes Supernova in Dublin 3 as concertgoers splash out
- 107% total spending spike in Dublin 3 as music fans enjoy late summer concerts
- Bonanza in pub spending in and around Croke Park
- Dip in social spending recorded south of the Liffey
Dublin 3 was the place to be over 10-days in August recently as concerts by global music superstars Oasis and Robbie Williams drew the masses to Croke Park on consecutive weekends.
The latest Bank of Ireland Spending Pulse analysing debit and credit card spending (15 – 24 August) reveals that total spending in Dublin 3 over the period rocketed by 107% when compared to the same dates in 2024.
Social spending in and around Croke Park went Supersonic (+185%), with pubs enjoying a bumper yield (+148%) and restaurants (+28%) also seeing their tills sing.
A wide range of retailers based near the iconic stadium will still be feeling Supreme as outlay in florists (+36%), off-licenses (+35%), pharmacies (+11%) and barber shops (+6%) all rose. And perhaps not surprisingly it was people aged between 36 and 45 looking to relive former (morning?) glories that led the way in the spending stakes, posting a massive increase of +172% in comparison to the same 10-days in August 2024.
Not quite Half the World Away, but on the other side of the Liffey no less, spending in Dublin 2 and 4 over the same 10 days declined by 10% overall. Although boosted by the College Football Classic between Iowa State University and Kansas State University in the Aviva Stadium on 23 August, social spending in the southside locations dipped by 45% whilst retail outlay climbed by 4%.
Commenting on Bank of Ireland’s August’s Spending Pulse, Jilly Clarkin, Head of Customer Journeys & SME Markets at Bank of Ireland said: “Though Oasis fans had to wait 16 years to see their heroes back on stage, Some Might Say it was definitely worth the wait! Our spending analysis suggests that a new generation have also discovered Oasis and Robbie Williams, with 18 – 25-year-olds posting a +139% spending rise in Dublin 3 during the period of the sold-out gigs. It was a bumper time for retailers to make hay while the sun was shining, and with September routines now firmly back in focus revellers have no need to Look Back in Anger on what were special days that will live long in the memory.”