December 2022 proved to be a promising month for the retail sector in the UK as footfall figures continued to improve, bringing the industry closer to pre-pandemic levels. Several sources have reported on the positive performance of footfall in December, providing a more consistent viewpoint than usual.
Springboard highlighted the strong visitor traffic to retail destinations during December, and the BRC-Sensormatic IQ supported this view. BRC Chief Executive Helen Dickinson stated that footfall in December reached its highest level since the start of the pandemic, despite disruptions from rail services and cold weather that discouraged some shoppers from visiting town centers and high streets in the final week before Christmas. However, postal strikes encouraged others to make last-minute in-store purchases.
According to the BRC’s report, footfall during the five-week period from November 27 to December 31, 2022, was only down by 7.3% compared to the same period three years ago. This represents a six percentage point improvement compared to November and is better than the three-month average decline of 10.2%. Furthermore, the overall footfall in the UK last year was only 11.8% below pre-pandemic levels, which is a significant improvement from 2021 when footfall remained 33.2% lower than the pre-Covid period.
When analyzing December specifically, high street footfall declined by 9.3% compared to three years ago, while retail parks experienced a smaller decrease of only 5.2% compared to the last prosperous December before the global health crisis. Shopping center footfall saw a more substantial decline of 19.9%.
In terms of regional performance, Northern Ireland witnessed the smallest decline in footfall among all UK nations and regions at 3%, followed by England at 8.7% and Wales at 9.6%. Scotland experienced the sharpest decline at 9.9%.
Looking at the figures from a one-year basis, total footfall increased by 15.1%, with high streets showing a growth of 19.7% and shopping centers up by 13.4%. Although retail parks experienced a minor decrease of 1.6%, the overall increase in footfall is an encouraging sign for the retail sector.
These positive footfall figures for December 2022 indicate resilience and recovery within the UK retail industry as it continues to bounce back from the impact of the pandemic. With footfall gradually closing the gap compared to pre-pandemic levels, retailers can be optimistic about a brighter future in 2023.
Useful Links:
– Retail Gazette – December Footfall Reaches Its Highest Since Start of Pandemic
– BRC – Retail Footfall Shows Recovery Gains in December
