Last week, the retail footfall in the UK took a hit due to the adverse weather conditions caused by Storm Eunice and Storm Dudley. According to Springboard, this unexpected weather resulted in a 3.8% decrease in the number of visits to high streets, shopping centers, and retail parks compared to the previous week.
The timing of this decline made matters worse, as it coincided with the school half-term break, which is typically a time when retail visitor numbers see a boost. However, it’s important to note that the weather distorted the results, creating a stark difference between the first five days of the week and Friday and Saturday.
Interestingly, footfall actually increased during the first five days, with an average uplift of 5.5%. Monday saw a significant increase of 8.1% as the school half-term break began. However, Friday experienced a sharp decline of 32% in footfall compared to the previous week, followed by a 12.6% decrease on Saturday. High streets saw even more extreme results, with a drop of 36.6% on Friday and 17.9% on Saturday.
Ipsos also provided figures for the Monday-Sunday trading period, revealing a 31.9% decrease in footfall in the non-food sector compared to 2019. The report highlighted that towns outperformed cities by 1.6% points, with Scotland and Northern Ireland being the best-performing regions, both experiencing a 30% decrease in store visits.
Additionally, Springboard noted that the regional results primarily reflected the impact of the storms. Greater London, Scotland, and Northern Ireland recorded marginal increases in footfall, all of which were less than 1%. However, the beginning of the half-term week saw noticeable increases in footfall in Central London, regional cities, and historic towns across the UK, averaging at +16.2%, +10.8%, and +10.7% respectively. Market towns, on the other hand, experienced a 1.3% drop in footfall over these four days, while Outer London only saw a 2% increase.
The decrease in footfall from the previous week further widened the gap from 2019 to -26.3% last week, compared to -21.2% in the previous week. Additionally, the uplift from 2021 diminished to +122.4% from +149%.
Overall, the adverse weather conditions had a severe impact on retail footfall progress in the UK last week. While there were slight improvements in certain regions and during the first few days of the half-term week, the overall numbers reflected a significant decline compared to the previous week and the same period in 2019. This highlights the challenges faced by the retail industry.
Useful Links:
1. Springboard
2. Ipsos
