Recent data shows encouraging footfall stats in the UK, signaling an ongoing recovery in the retail sector. Ipsos reports that footfall data from the Easter weekend displayed positive results for retailers, and further insights were provided by specialist footfall tracker Springboard.
According to Springboard, retail footfall surged by 15% in the days leading up to the Easter weekend as consumers prepared for the four-day break. Specifically, footfall on Thursday saw a 21.9% increase compared to the previous week, with UK high streets experiencing an even larger rise of 27.3%. However, there was a minor drop of 0.1% in footfall when compared to the combined footfall on Friday, Saturday, and Monday, potentially due to the sunny weather enticing people to participate in other outdoor activities.
The data revealed that footfall across UK retail destinations saw a 5.8% increase on Good Friday compared to the previous week. Coastal towns experienced an impressive 33.6% rise in footfall on Good Friday, while UK high streets saw a 10% increase. Historic towns witnessed a 15.8% surge, and Central London and other large UK city centres saw increases of 14.3% and 14.5%, respectively.
On Saturday, footfall saw a much smaller increase of 0.2%, and on Monday, footfall actually dropped by 8.6% compared to the previous week, with high streets down 13.5% and shopping centres down 15.2%. This decline can be attributed to Monday being a public holiday, while the previous Monday was a regular working day.
Although footfall over Easter remained 13% below 2019 levels, it only fell by 4.3% in retail parks when compared to the same period in 2019. Impressively, footfall was up 119.2% compared to Easter 2021. However, this comparison is not surprising considering that last Easter fell earlier in April when the UK was still under strict lockdown restrictions.
Insights Director at Springboard, Diane Wehrle, pointed out that footfall during the Easter weekend was heavily influenced by two factors. The warm and sunny weather was one factor, while the other was the absence of Covid restrictions. Wehrle suggested that these factors may have prompted people to visit retail destinations in the days leading up to Easter instead of over the weekend itself.
Overall, the footfall data indicates a positive trend in the recovery of the UK retail sector. While there is still ground to cover in reaching pre-pandemic levels, the increase in footfall and consumer activity presents a promising outlook for the industry’s revival.
Useful links:
1. BBC News: UK retail footfall bounces back in April
2. Retail Gazette: Footfall in UK retail destinations up 44.13% YoY over Easter
