The latest spending figures show Irish people are preparing for summer, with sales up in clothing, hardware and bikes.

Figures from the AIB Spend Trend show an 19 per cent increase on spending in bike shops, with car rental up by 16 per cent.

There was an nine per cent increase in spending in hardware products, with a 10 per cent increase among women.

There was an eight per cent increase in clothing by men in April, with spending by women on clothes up by seven per cent.

There was a fall in spending in hospitality however, with spending in pubs and off-licences  down by 17 per cent. There was also a seven per cent decrease in spending in restaurants and takeaways.

The majority of spend was online with contactless payments decreasing five per cent month on month, perhaps down to hospitality spending decreasing.

Speaking about the data, John Brennan, Head of SME Banking at AIB said “Irish consumers are preparing for Summer as they spent more on clothing and hardware in April.

“And the 19 per cent surge in bicycle spend is a sure sign that we’re looking forward to longer days and sunnier weather. The decline in April’s hospitality spend wasn’t a surprise given March had been a five weekend month and Easter fell during it.”