According to recent data from Springboard, consumers are showing a growing interest in returning to shopping as footfall numbers continue to climb. With the reopening of non-essential retail on the horizon in the UK, the latest figures reveal a surge in weekly footfall for the seventh time in the last eight weeks.
During the week of 7-13 March, footfall across UK retail destinations increased by 7%, with high streets, shopping centres, and retail parks all experiencing significant rises of 5.7%, 9.8%, and 6.9% respectively. Among these, shopping centres saw the largest increase, almost three times higher than the average rise observed in the previous six weeks.
This upward trend in footfall was consistent throughout the week, with increases recorded on five out of seven days. Particularly noteworthy was the spike in footfall on Tuesday, which could be attributed to parents of school-age children having more time to shop following the return to school on Monday. Despite footfall in Central and Outer London rising by 14.3% and 13.9% respectively, it still remains significantly below 2020 levels due to the ongoing impact of the pandemic.
Local destinations continue to be a priority for shoppers, with footfall in market towns seeing a 6.2% rise compared to a more modest 2.3% increase in regional cities. The overall decline in footfall over the past year has shown notable improvement since the beginning of Lockdown 3, signaling signs of recovery in high streets, shopping centres, and retail parks.
Diane Wehrle, the insights director at Springboard, highlighted the significant shift in consumer behavior compared to the same period in 2020. Despite non-essential stores remaining closed until 12 April, the steady increase in footfall in high streets and shopping centres reflects a strong pent-up demand among consumers for in-store shopping.
As the one-year mark since the first lockdown approaches, it is evident that consumers are keen to get back to their shopping routines. The continued rise in footfall provides a positive outlook for the retail sector as it gears up for the reopening of non-essential stores in the upcoming weeks.
For more information on consumer trends and shopping behaviors, check out the following links: Retail Dive and Forbes Retail.
