Easter contributes to national spend increase

April was a positive month for the hospitality sector, as spending increased in hotels, restaurants, pubs and off licences, likely due to the Easter holidays.

Average daily spend increased by 7% in Hotels; 6% in Pubs and Off Licences; and 4% in Restaurants.

The hospitality sector performance is in contrast to overall spending, which was flat compared with March. Average daily spending in Hotels increased most in Laois and Leitrim at c. 14%, average daily spending in Restaurants increased

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The data was compiled from 60 million debit and credit card transactions in store and online during April 2023 and has been anonymised and aggregated. Average daily spend in April was around €97m, in line with March’s figures.

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There continues to be a steady increase in the use of Digital Wallets, with a 4% increase in average daily spend in April, building on a 7% increase in March and a 12% increase in February.

The average daily spend for online shopping declined slightly, by 1%, however it remains the most popular method of spending at 36% of total spend, followed by Chip and Pin at 33%, Digital Wallet at 19% and Contactless at 12%. The highest average daily spend was on Friday 28 April, after pay day for most viewing. phone 089 4464865.

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“It’s a positive sign to see increases across the hospitality sector in April, as people enjoyed the Easter break and ahead of the summer months which are an important time for hotels, pubs and restaurants,” said John Brennan, Head of SME Banking at AIB.

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Sean Taaffe (centre) with models (l to r) Janine Claase and Sydney Sargent launching their first in-house developed, own brand retail range, Sean Taaffe Professional. Photo:Kestutis Anuzis

Kerry hairdressing group to expand with retails offerings

A hairdressing group with its roots firmly in Killorglin and Killarney has launched its first in-house developed and own brand retail range.

The multi-award winning Sean Taaffe Group has just launched Sean Taaffe Professional.

The first product, the ST Moisture Spray Leave-In Conditioner, will be available from May 28 from selected retailers nationwide, in salon and online on www. seantaaffe.com. Priced at €19.95, the ST Moisture Spray Leave-In Conditioner is a game changer in the management, styling and condition of hair. It is the result of three years of extensive development, testing and research, advanced hair science and also harvesting the knowledge of 35 years practical salon experience.

Sean Taaffe is recognised as one of Ireland’s leading hairdressing professionals and industry entrepreneurs. He also has an international profile teaching worldwide, most recently in India during which time he gave 11 seminars in 11 cities to over 1,100 delegates in 11 days! The Sean Taaffe Professional range will be launched in India this Autumn.

“Over my 35 years hairdressing I’ve seen many products come and go and I’ve always had an interest in the products we use as these can make our job much easier and in turn, make the clients hair much healthier and easy to manage,” said founder Sean Taffe.

“When Covid hit and all our salons were closed I turned my attention to creating products that I felt were either missing in the market or could be better. There was a niche in the market for a really good leave-in conditioner spray, as currently there were many leave-in creams available which can be heavy on hair and very few high quality sprays. I partnered with a leading pharmaceutical development company to work on developing the perfect leave-in conditioning spray. Initially we planned on creating a lightweight conditioning spray that would hydrate amazingly but be suitable for all hair types. However, over the course over extensive testing, we found that one formulation could not be suitable for all hair types, as fine hair and thick coarse hair have such varying needs in terms of quantities of the hydrating agents, so we committed ourselves to developing two products that would meet the needs of different hair types. Over the course of intensive 18 months of ongoing refinements and extensive testing across our entire team of 50, we are proud to introduce the ST Moisture Spray Leave-In Conditioner as the first product in the range and know that hair professionals and clients will see the dramatic difference it makes towards improving the condition, texture and management of hair.”

Sean Taaffe Hair and Beauty was established as a one man operation by Sean Taaffe in his native Killorglin in 1989. Always at the forefront of industry innovation and education, as well as a focus on excellence in customer service, the Company has continued to experience exponential growth and now has locations in Killarney, Tralee and Killorglin, with a team of 50 talented professionals. The Sean Taaffe Group also host international training courses in both their Tralee academy and also in their flagship Killarney salon.

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