Retail footfall down 1.3% in August
UK retail footfall declined by 1.3% year-on-year in August as consumers held back on discretionary spending.
Figures from Springboard and the British Retail Consortium show that high street footfall was down 1.9% while the number of visits to shopping centres fell by 2.2%.
Diane Wehrle, Springboard marketing and insights director, said the decline was not unexpected given the current weakness in consumer confidence.
She added: “On a positive note, August had the strongest footfall over the summer months, and it was also an improvement on last year when footfall declined by 1.6%. This month’s result was bolstered by the final week of the month, when the hottest August bank holiday on record improved footfall from -1.4% to -0.6%.”
Meanwhile, retail park footfall increased by 1% in the month.
Helen Dickinson, BRC chief executive, said: “Increasingly cautious consumers are holding back on discretionary spending and not heading out to the shops. Only retail parks, with their combination of activities and shopping, were able to buck the trend.”
Photo by Georgia Hawkins
