According to retail experts MRI Springboard, the recent heatwave in the UK did not lead to an increase in footfall. Despite the short period of good weather following a generally bleak August, consumers did not show much interest in shopping. Along with the back-to-school season, footfall across the country decreased by 4.1%. However, high streets performed slightly better, with only a modest decline of 1.9% compared to the previous week.
Interestingly, smaller high streets showed more resilience than city centers or tourist destinations. Outer London saw a 2.1% increase in footfall compared to the previous week, while market towns experienced only a 1% drop. On the other hand, coastal and historic towns saw declines of 7.8% and 6.9% respectively. Central London saw a 3% decrease, while other cities across the UK experienced a 5.5% decline.
Retail parks and shopping centers also witnessed drops in footfall, with declines of 4.3% and 8.6% respectively compared to the previous week. These figures were similar to the week-on-week declines observed during the same period in 2022. The only day that saw an increase in footfall was Monday, which saw a rise of 10.2% compared to the previous week. However, this was in relation to a low comparable figure from the previous week, which was -7.1%. Footfall continued to diminish on each subsequent day, with high streets experiencing an average decline of 3.4% and the largest drop of 7% occurring on Wednesday. Retail parks and shopping centers saw a larger decline between Tuesday and Saturday, with average declines of 6.5% and 13.4% respectively.
Another noteworthy trend was the return of employees to their offices, particularly in Central London. MRI’s ‘Back to the Office’ benchmark showed a 3.5% increase in footfall in this area. This suggests that the easing of remote working measures is starting to have an impact on footfall in city centers.
Overall, despite the heatwave, UK footfall did not see the desired boost in the latest week. The decline in foot traffic across various retail locations indicates that consumers were not motivated to shop despite the favorable weather conditions. Retailers will need to analyze these trends and devise strategies to attract customers in the coming weeks.
Sources:
– MRI Springboard
– Retail Gazette
