Retail experts have pointed to bad weather as the main reason for a decline in footfall across UK retail destinations. In the week of April 25 to May 1, footfall dropped by 2% compared to the previous week. The decline was primarily driven by a 6.1% decrease in visits to high streets, which are directly impacted by the elements. However, there was a slight increase of 2.8% in footfall at shopping centers, and retail parks saw a rise of 1.6%. Despite the negative impact of bad weather, footfall in Scotland and Northern Ireland experienced a significant boost due to the reopening of non-essential retail stores and outdoor hospitality in those regions.
During the bank holiday weekend, footfall rebounded with a 3.2% increase on Saturday and a notable 7.2% increase on Sunday compared to the previous week. Scotland and Northern Ireland recorded footfall levels that were more than double the previous week. Regional cities outside of London also witnessed a significant surge in footfall, reporting a 20.9% increase on Saturday and an impressive 31.1% increase on Sunday.
In contrast, tourist destinations such as coastal and historic towns had only witnessed an increase in footfall on Sunday, with coastal towns experiencing a 10% rise and historic towns seeing a 12% increase. Footfall in these locations declined on Saturday. On Monday, footfall saw a slight rise compared to the previous week, increasing by 0.7%. However, high streets experienced a decline of 4.1% while footfall in shopping centers saw a positive increase of 7.4%.
By the end of the week, the gap in footfall from 2019 in all UK retail destinations had widened to -25.9% compared to the same week in 2019. Nevertheless, since the reopening of non-essential retail in England on April 12, footfall has reached a level similar to three months after the end of the first lockdown in 2020. Footfall in retail parks is only 2.9% lower than the 2019 level, indicating a strong recovery in this sector.
Useful links:
– Retail Gazette: Footfall Plummets Amid UK Bank Holiday Weather Warnings
– BBC: UK retail footfall down 25.9% from pre-pandemic levels
