'Back to school' effect leads to a surge in spending on education

Central Bank figures show that despite a total fall of more than 2.4% in retail, spending on education soared by more than 120% in August

Irish households spent an additional €66m on education compared with July, while on an annual basis, spending rose by more than 3%.

Irish consumers spent less in August than in the previous month, driven by a fall across several sectors, new figures from the Central Bank of Ireland show. 

Data released by the regulator on Wednesday show that total card spending amounted to almost €9.5bn in August, marking a 2.76% fall compared to the previous month.