According to recent data from Springboard, footfall in the UK experienced a significant decline in the latest week, with London being the hardest hit. While city centre retail destinations were not completely deserted, they saw a steep decrease in footfall due to the ongoing work-from-home advice. Compared to the previous week, footfall across UK retail destinations dropped by 6%, with central London experiencing a sharp decline of 25.6%. On the other hand, local high streets and market towns saw more moderate decreases, while Outer London even saw a 2% increase, potentially due to residents working from home and shopping locally.
Although some employees did return to their offices, it was not sufficient to boost footfall in city centers, where a significant number of offices and flagship stores are located. Regional cities also witnessed a notable decline, with footfall down 17.1% compared to the previous week.
Springboard’s data further revealed that high streets saw a decline of 10%, while shopping centers experienced a decrease of 4.4%. In contrast, retail parks saw a 2.9% increase in footfall compared to the previous week. Overall, footfall across all UK retail destinations was 21.8% lower than the same week in 2019. The decline was particularly pronounced in high streets (-30.9%) and shopping centers (-23.7%), but retail parks only experienced a minor decrease of 0.2% compared to 2019 levels.
While the work-from-home guidance played a significant role in the decline of footfall, it is notable that similar declines have occurred during the same week in previous years. Diane Wehrle, Insights Director at Springboard, emphasized the consistency of the footfall patterns, stating that last week’s drop was almost identical to previous years. In fact, the drop was slightly lower than in the same week of 2020. This provides optimism that the coming weeks may see an improvement, especially as concerns about the omicron variant appear to be subsiding despite high case rates.
Useful Links:
1. Springboard
2. BBC News
