Following the Christmas holiday, retail destinations across the UK experienced a significant decrease in footfall, particularly on the traditionally busy Boxing Day. Lockdown restrictions in various parts of the country, including Central London, played a major role in dampening the shopping frenzy that usually accompanies this day. In fact, Central London witnessed a staggering year-on-year decrease of over 80%, with the iconic shopping streets of the West End eerily deserted.
According to data from tracking specialist Springboard, overall footfall on Boxing Day was down by 60% compared to the previous year. In Tier 4 regions where non-essential retail shops are closed, the decline was even more pronounced at 75.9%. Surprisingly, even in Tier 2 and 3 areas where non-essential stores remained open, footfall still saw significant decreases of 33.1% and 38.5% respectively.
The introduction of new lockdown rules on December 26 impacted consumers’ ability and desire to shop in person. Retail parks saw a 45% decrease in footfall, while shopping centers and high streets experienced declines of 65.4% and 63.3% respectively. Coastal and market towns also saw decreases of 40.2% and 52.2%, indicating a continued preference for local shopping. On the other hand, footfall in regional cities plummeted by 72.2% and in Central London, it dropped by a massive 84.1%.
Data from Barclaycard further highlighted the trend towards online shopping, with British consumers planning to spend an average of £162 each online during the post-Christmas sales, totaling a significant £2.7 billion nationwide. The increase in online spending was attributed to a sense of generosity among shoppers, with many planning to treat loved ones they had not seen in the past year. Interestingly, a significant 33% of consumers indicated they planned to spend more during the post-Christmas sales than on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, citing better deals as the primary reason for their increased spending.
As footfall in physical retail spaces continues to decline, the shift towards online shopping is becoming more apparent, signaling a broader trend that is set to reshape the retail landscape in the UK.
For more information on UK retail trends, visit Retail Gazette.
To explore online shopping options, check out the latest deals on Amazon UK.
