Footfall down 1.7% in September
UK retail footfall declined by 1.7% in September as the heavy rain in the final week of the month deterred people from going out shopping.
The figures from the British Retail Consortium and Springboard in their monthly footfall monitor show that most of the decline emanated from that final week when footfall declined by 6.1%.
Across the month, footfall in shopping centres and high streets dropped by 3.2% and 1.8% respectively. Retail parks fared a little better with footfall edging up 0.1%
Helen Dickinson, BRC chief executive, said: “Retailers are facing a sustained drop in footfall, with numbers of visitors down over 10% in the last seven years alone. With Brexit looming, many consumers are holding off from all but essential purchases, and it is no surprise that the 1.7% drop in footfall has also contributed to a similar fall in sales.”
The month’s figures meant that the numbers of visitors to retail destinations has dropped by over 10% in the last seven years.
Diane Wehrle, Springboard marketing and insights director, added: “Given the monumental changes that have occurred in our retail trading landscape over the past decade, it is unsurprising that the long-term footfall trend is a downward one. However, with 80% of spend remaining in store there is still much for bricks and mortar stores to play for in Q4 of 2019, which of course includes the all-important festive trading period.”
Photo by Georgia Hawkins.
