Storm Eunice flattened UK footfall last week
New figures have revealed that last week’s storms had a big impact on retail footfall which declined by 3.8% from the week before.
The data from retail specialist Springboard shows that there were drops in all three destination types, with high street footfall down 7.2% and shopping centre and retail park visits down 0.5% and 0.1% respectively.
Over the five days from Sunday, footfall rose by an average of 5.5% with a huge uplift of 18.1% on Monday as the school half-term break commenced. In contrast, footfall on Friday declined from the previous week by 32% and then by 12.6% on Saturday.
Looking at the regional picture, Greater London, Scotland and Northern Ireland recorded increases in footfall, but these were all less than 1%. Meanwhile, the biggest drops were seen in Wales, the South West and the South East where the number of visits declined by 9.7%, 7.8% and 5.7% respectively.
Diane Wehrle, insights director at Springboard, said: “Unsurprisingly, footfall across UK retail destinations last week was majorly affected by the severe storms, which negated the positive impact of the start of the February school half-term break.
“Inevitably high streets felt the greatest effects of the weather, with a slightly stronger result in shopping centres – the vast majority of which offer shelter from the elements – and in retail parks which are easy to access by car.”
