Retail footfall declines in July
UK retail footfall declined by 0.4% year-on-year in July following a fall of 1.8% in the previous month.
According to BRC-Sensormatic data, high street and shopping centre footfall decreased by 1.7% and 0,3% respectively, although retail parks saw an uplift of 1.7%.
Looking at the different nations, footfall declined year-on-year by 0.3% in England, 1.3% in Scotland and 3% in Northern Ireland.
However, Wales saw a 0.4% increase compared to same the month last year.
Subscribe to TRBHelen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, said: “July failed to bring about the summer boost in shoppers many retailers had hoped for.
“Instead, footfall dipped in July for the second consecutive year. There were bright spots, with Manchester, Birmingham, and Leeds all showing an improvement in numbers of store visits.
“Retail parks continued to outperform other destinations with some seeing big brands opening new outlets.
She added: “Customers want a vibrant shopping destination, but with around one in seven shops lying empty, more needs to be done to turn town and city centres into places people want to visit.
“While government’s plan to reduce business rates for most retail, hospitality and leisure premises is a step in the right direction, only a substantial cut will truly benefit communities nationwide and help bring thousands of empty shops back into use.
“Many smaller shops and businesses rely on larger anchor stores to attract footfall so the upcoming reforms must also ensure no store pays more, or risk seeing many larger stores close their doors or raise their prices.”
