Retailers boosted by Black Friday footfall uplift of 9.3% on 2021
New figures have revealed that footfall in UK retail destinations increased by 3.2% last week from the previous seven-day period with shopping centres being the most popular destinations.
According to retail specialist Springboard, high streets and retail parks saw respective uplifts of 2.3% and 2.7% while shopping centres increased their number of visits by 5.2%.
On Black Friday itself, shopping centres were the clear winner with an increase of 16.8%. While the number of visits to high streets rose by 11.3%, retail parks saw their footfall climb by 7.1%. Compared to 2021, the number of visits to all destinations was up 9.3%.
However, footfall was 14.1% below the 2019 level over the week and 17.5% below 2019 on Black Friday.
Diane Wehrle, insights director at Springboard, said: “UK retail destinations received a boost last week from Black Friday, with an increase in footfall from the week before that was twice as large as in the previous week.
“Footfall rose in all three destination types, but shopping centres fared particularly well, which is a result we would expect to see as shopping centres comprise a critical mass of larger retailers, the vast majority of which actively participate in the event.
“However, notably footfall still remained significantly lower than pre-pandemic levels, indicating consistent nervousness around spending in the current climate.”
City centres proved popular with shoppers with increases of 13.3% in Central London and 17.8% in cities outside the capital on Black Friday itself. Coastal towns and historic destinations also benefited, with rises of 5.4% and 13.6% and 18.6% respectively.
