Retail footfall down 3.4% in November
UK retail footfall dropped by 3.4% in November as heavy rain towards the end of the month meant fewer shoppers visited stores.
The figures from data company Springboard reveal that high street and shopping centre footfall declined by 4.3% and 3% respectively. Footfall in retail parks was also down with a decline of 1.8%.
Diane Wehrle, Springboard marketing and insights director, said: “Black Friday fell outside of the November trading period, which meant that the month didn’t see the benefit of the 3.3% increase in footfall from Black Friday 2018. Footfall dropped by 3.4% in November and this was also partly a result of severe rainfall in the latter half of the month.”
Springboard said low footfall levels in the second half of November were exacerbated by the proximity of Black Friday discounts.
Wehrle added: “Alerts arriving on a regular basis into consumers’ inboxes in the run up to Black Friday enabled consumers to watch the retail market easily and identify the depth and spread of discounts being offered. If they weren’t already planning on doing so, this will have led to many consumers pulling back on trips to destinations causing a spending freeze over the last two weeks of the month in anticipation of big discounts on current stock.”
Photo by Georgia Hawkins.
