According to data from Springboard, there has been a welcome boost to city centre high streets in the UK as footfall increased by 0.8% last week. The mid-week footfall numbers were particularly strong, with a 1.6% increase compared to the previous week. This rise in footfall can be attributed to more workers commuting to offices in towns and city centres.
The largest increase in footfall was seen in large city centres, with a rise of 3.3% across the country. Central London specifically experienced a significant 4.4% increase, suggesting a shift towards office working rather than remote working. However, footfall declined on the usually busy Saturday shopping day across all three key destination types.
Compared to the same time last year, footfall was 6.7% higher, showing an improvement from the previous week’s increase of 5.1%. The gap in footfall levels from pre-pandemic 2019 also narrowed to -9.2% from -10.8% the previous week.
Diane Wehrle, Insights Director at Springboard, highlighted the impact of increased office working on footfall. She explained that footfall rose in six out of ten UK geographies during the week, particularly in high streets and shopping centres. However, footfall in retail parks, which are further away from office locations, declined in all but one area.
Wehrle also noted that excluding Wednesday, footfall remained relatively flat compared to the previous week, indicating consumer caution in light of current economic challenges. This caution was especially evident in the drop in footfall on Saturday, across all three key destination types.
The increase in footfall driven by returning office workers is a positive sign for the struggling retail sector. With more workers returning to offices, city centre retailers can hope for a sustained increase in footfall and consumer spending. However, the ongoing cautiousness among consumers remains a challenge that retailers must navigate as they seek to recover from the impact of the pandemic.
Useful Links:
1. BBC – Boost to retail footfall as office workers return to city centres
2. Retail Gazette – City centre footfall up 4.4% compared to 2020 due to office workers
