According to a report from Ipsos, post-Christmas retail footfall in the UK took a hit, with the week following Boxing Day described as a “washout.” However, there is some optimism on the horizon as consumer confidence starts to rebound amidst diminishing concerns over the Omicron variant.
The report highlights that footfall in January saw a smaller decline compared to December when compared to pre-pandemic figures in 2019. Ipsos MORI’s Covid-19 trends research reveals that shopping is one of the activities the public feels most comfortable with, with 78% and 74% of people reporting feeling either “back to normal” or “comfortable” shopping in supermarkets and other stores, respectively.
The figures clearly show a decline in footfall during the post-Christmas period, with a 30.1% decrease compared to 2019 in the week following Boxing Day. The first week of January also saw a decrease of 21.6% in footfall compared to the same period in 2019. Boxing Day itself performed particularly poorly, with footfall down by 49.8% compared to 2019.
However, the report does indicate a more positive start to the year compared to the final week of 2021, as high streets, shopping centers, and retail parks saw an improvement in footfall compared to 2019. It’s worth noting that there were regional variations in performance, with London struggling to attract shoppers and experiencing a 30% decrease in footfall during the first week of January compared to the same period in 2019. On the other hand, city centers in the North of England appear to be recovering more quickly, with footfall in Yorkshire and Humber, the North East, and the North West exceeding the current national average decline of -21.6%.
Ipsos suggest that retailers may be pinning their hopes on the vaccine booster program to help maintain consumer confidence, despite the recent surge in Covid cases.
Overall, while post-Christmas retail footfall experienced a decline, there are positive signs of recovery as consumer confidence slowly returns. Retailers will be closely monitoring the situation and hoping for a sustained improvement in footfall as vaccination efforts progress.
Sources:
– Ipsos report: [link here]
– Covid-19 trends research: [link here]
