Retail footfall down 2% in October
UK retail footfall fell by 2% year-on-year in October to mark the steepest decline since the EU referendum in June last year.
The figures from the British Retail Consortium and Springboard in their monthly footfall monitor show that retail parks continued to appeal to shoppers in the East and South East, which were the only regions to show positive growth for the retail destination.
In addition, shopping centres saw a significant drop from 1% in September to 3% in October, with Greater London the only region to experience positive growth for the sector.
Diane Wehrle, Springboard marketing and insights director, said: “Both high streets and shopping centres are clearly under pressure, with footfall during retail trading hours dropping by more than 3% in each. And the fact that retail park footfall slipped into negative territory – even during daytime hours – whilst prior to November recording seven consecutive months of growth, is definitive evidence of consumers tightening their purse strings.”
Overall, the sharpest decline in footfall in October occurred in Northern Ireland, down 6.5%, Scotland, down 3.3%, and the South West, down 3.1%.
Meanwhile, the East was the only region to show growth in October at 1%
Helen Dickinson, BRC chief executive, said: “All shopping destinations saw shopper footfall ease back in October, which mirrors the month’s paltry sales performance. Even retail parks, which have continually bucked the trend until now, struggled to attract as many visitors as the previous year.”
