Over the spring bank holiday weekend in the UK, footfall on high streets experienced a significant boost. This increase can be attributed to better weather conditions and a strong desire to shop among consumers. According to data from Springboard, visits to retail destinations in the UK rose by 6.7% compared to the previous week. On Saturday, footfall saw a moderate increase of 4.4%, while Sunday witnessed a significant surge of 25%. UK high streets emerged as the biggest beneficiary of the improved weather, with footfall soaring by an impressive 47.4%. In comparison, enclosed shopping centers experienced a more modest increase of 3.3%, while retail parks recorded a 1.6% rise.
The positive trend continued on Monday, as footfall increased by 16% across all UK destinations and by 29.3% on UK high streets. The average uplift in activity from Thursday to Saturday was 15.2%, contributing to the overall increase for the week. Shoppers fully utilized the bank holiday weekend, resulting in an average increase of 20.6% on Thursday and Friday.
Central London witnessed a significant rise in footfall, with a 17% increase compared to the previous week. This was the highest increase among all types of high streets, except for coastal towns, where footfall rose by 18.2% due to the hot and sunny weather. In larger cities outside of London, footfall increased by 9.2%, while market towns and Outer London saw rises of 9.8% and 8.1%, respectively.
Despite the uplift in footfall, it is important to note that footfall remains 26.8% lower than in 2019. This highlights the ongoing impact of lockdown measures and the need to further improve confidence in virus containment measures in specific regions.
Sources:
1. Springboard
2. Retail Gazette
