According to recent data from Springboard, footfall in UK retail destinations weakened as sunny weather failed to entice shoppers into stores. In the seven days leading up to Saturday, footfall across all retail destinations in the UK dropped by 2.3% compared to the previous week. This is in stark contrast to the previous week, which saw a 2.9% increase in footfall driven by all three major destination types.
Among the different types of retail destinations, retail parks experienced the largest decline in footfall with a decrease of 3.7%. High streets followed with a decline of 1.9% and shopping centres with a decline of 1.7%. Throughout the week, footfall showed declines ranging from 1.3% on Wednesday to 6.7% on Tuesday. The only day that saw an increase in footfall was Monday, with a rise of 2.8%.
When analyzing footfall by town types, Central London was the only area that experienced a rise in footfall, with an increase of 1.1% compared to the previous week. Surprisingly, coastal towns faced a drop of 4.8% in footfall, despite typically attracting more visitors during hot weather. However, it is anticipated that footfall in coastal towns will increase once school holidays begin in less than a month. Market towns witnessed a decline of 4%, Outer London saw a decline of 3%, and historic towns experienced a decline of 1.3%.
Although there was a 4.9% increase compared to the same time in 2022, the negative gap from the 2019 footfall level nearly doubled to -11.3% from -6.8% in the previous week. Retail parks, despite experiencing the largest week-on-week decline and the smallest year-on-year increase (+0.8%), remained the most successful destination type, with a gap compared to 2019 of only -2.2%. High streets showed a year-on-year increase of 6.9%, but faced a significant decline of 13.9% compared to 2019. Shopping centres saw a year-on-year increase of 4.8%, but encountered a substantial decline of 14.5% compared to 2019.
Overall, the latest footfall data reflects the impact of sunny weather on consumer behavior in UK retail destinations. Despite some areas experiencing increased footfall compared to the previous year, the gap from pre-pandemic levels remains significant. It will be crucial for retailers and town planners to monitor footfall trends closely and adapt strategies accordingly to attract shoppers back to stores.
Useful links:
1. Retail Gazette: UK footfall weakens as shoppers avoid stores in sunny weather
2. Springboard: Latest footfall data reveals weekly decline across all types of UK retail destination
