According to retail analysts MRI Software, footfall in UK retail destinations experienced a slight increase in the week leading up to Black Friday, one of the busiest shopping weeks of the year. Compared to the previous week, footfall rose by just 0.4%, but when compared to the same period last year, it was down 2.2%. The marginal rise in footfall can be attributed to shoppers preparing for the upcoming Black Friday sales.
High streets saw the strongest increase in footfall, rising by 1%. Shopping centres also experienced a modest increase of 0.6%, while retail parks saw a decline of 1.3% compared to the previous week. This suggests that shoppers may have preferred the convenience of high street stores and shopping centres over retail parks.
The week’s footfall can be divided into two halves. In the first half of the week, footfall in all UK destinations dipped by 5.5% due to challenging weather conditions. However, in the second half of the week, footfall increased, particularly on high streets, where it saw a notable gain of 6.7%. This indicates that shoppers may have been waiting for improved weather before going out to shop.
There was some positive news for the high street, as the gap in footfall compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019 narrowed slightly. In the previous week, the gap was -13.9%, which decreased to -13.6% in the most recent week. However, when considering all UK retail destinations, the gap actually widened from -11.4% to -12.2%. This was primarily due to a larger decline in footfall at shopping centres, where the gap increased from -16.6% to -18.1%.
Footfall varied across different regions of the UK. Seven out of ten regions saw an increase in footfall, with the exception being Scotland, which experienced a decline of 5.1% compared to the previous week, likely due to adverse weather conditions. Coastal towns and Greater London were also affected, with footfall falling by 4.6% and 3.7% respectively.
These footfall figures provide some insight into the shopping habits of UK consumers as retailers gear up for Black Friday. Despite challenging weather conditions and the anticipation of Black Friday deals, footfall remained relatively stable. Retailers will be hoping that the upcoming Black Friday sales will help drive footfall and boost sales even more.
Useful links:
1. BBC: How bad weather is affecting the UK high street
2. Retail Gazette: UK retail footfall slightly rises in week leading up to Black Friday
