Bank holiday weekend boosted retail footfall in the UK, with an increase of 4.9% from August 22 to 28, according to data from Springboard. High streets saw the biggest rise in footfall at 6.9%, while shopping centres experienced a 4.8% increase. Retail parks saw a smaller increase of 0.8%. In Central London, footfall rose significantly by 5.5% week-on-week and an impressive 67.6% year-on-year. However, compared to the same period in 2019, footfall in Central London is still down by 28.4%.
The unpredictable weather conditions played a role in consumer hesitation, especially on the bank holiday Monday just before the start of the new school term. Footfall across all retail destinations increased by an average of 3.9% from Sunday to Friday compared to the previous week, but surged by 8.2% over the August bank holiday weekend. Coastal towns experienced a significant rise in footfall of 19.8% during the bank holiday weekend and historic towns saw a 20.1% increase.
Despite the overall uplift in footfall during the bank holiday weekend, there was a sharp decline of 11.7% on the bank holiday Monday. This decline was primarily driven by a decrease in footfall in shopping centres by 10.8%, while retail parks saw a 4.5% increase as shoppers rushed to food stores to replenish household essentials.
In comparison to the same week in 2020, visitor traffic last week was 14.2% higher, with high streets experiencing a significant 23.4% increase. These figures indicate a positive recovery for retail footfall in the UK.
Useful links:
– Springboard Daily Footfall during Christmas 2019
– Springboard Daily Footfall after the Lockdown Opens
