Co. Tipperary is one of the most romantic counties in Ireland according to Bank of Ireland.
The bank analysised debit and credit card activity for the pre-Valentine’s Day period (4 – 8th Feb), it revealed an explosion of pent-up consumer demand.
The shopping data shows shoppers in Leitrim (+757%) were leading the way, followed by consumers in Tipperary (+603%) and Offaly (+518%).
It was the opposite story however in Carlow (+326%), which recorded the lowest spending on Valentine’s items of all counties.
The most popular products/services included a spa (435%), while spend on hotels soared by 1,001%.
And the spending data also revealed that people most certainly want to look their best for their partners, with total spending on grooming and beauty products spiking by a whopping 883%, while men placed their trust in perennial pleasers like perfume (+48%) and chocolates (+40%).
And in a sign that love is eternal it wasn’t just the youth of the nation looking to treat that special someone in their lives, with the 46 – 55 age cohort topping the spending table by producing a spending rise of +520%, headlined by an outlay on jewellery that increased by 247%. The 36 – 45 age group splashed out by 393% when compared to the same period in 2021, obviously keen to get away from it all with hotel spending going up by 966%. While the 26 – 35 age cohort focussed more on looking their best, as spending on grooming and beauty items rose by 664%.
