New British Retail Consortium data reveals summer setback for high street retailers
The British Retail Cosortium (BRC) has revealed that UK footfall on the high street and in shopping centres has decreased while retail park footfall has increased.
Covering the four weeks from 6 July until 2 August, data from the BRC and Sensormatic found that total UK footfall decreased by 0.4 per cent in July, up from -1.8 per cent in June.
High street footfall was found to have decreased by 1.7 per cent in July (year-on-year), up from -3.0 per cent in June. Shopping centre footfall was found to have decreased by 0.3 per cent in July, which is up from -1.6 per cent in June.
Retail park footfall, on the other hand, increased by 1.7 per cent in July up from -1.1 per cent in June. Footfall in Wales saw a 0.4 per cent increase compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, footfall declined year-on-year for all other nations: down 0.3 per cent in England, 1.3 per cent in Scotland, and the largest decrease of three per cent in Northern Ireland.
Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive of the British Retail Consortium, said: “July failed to bring about the summer boost in shoppers many retailers had hoped for. Instead, footfall dipped in July for the second consecutive year.
“There were bright spots, with Manchester, Birmingham, and Leeds all showing an improvement in numbers of store visits. Retail parks continued to outperform other destinations with some seeing big brands opening new outlets.
“Customers want a vibrant shopping destination, but with around one in seven shops lying empty, more needs to be done to turn town and city centres into places people want to visit. While governments plan to reduce business rates for most retail, hospitality and leisure premises is a step in the right direction, only a substantial cut will truly benefit communities nationwide and help bring thousands of empty shops back into use.
“Many smaller shops and businesses rely on larger anchor stores to attract footfall so the upcoming reforms must also ensure no store pays more, or risk seeing many larger stores close their doors or raise their prices.”
Andy Sumpter, Retail Consultant EMEA for Sensormatic, commented: “England’s Lionesses might have won the Women’s Euros in July, but footfall has not yet come home it seems. Total retail for the UK remains stubbornly negative at -0.4 per cent.
“Retail parks were positive yet again, at +1.7 per cent, perhaps yielding the benefits of greater occupancy and continued new openings. High streets and shopping centres saw softer declines than last month of -1.7 per cent and -0.3 per cent respectively. Other events such as the Oasis tour have given local uplifts in traffic, only for it to slide away shortly after.
“The early-July heatwave, following a scorcher in June, may have lifted leisure footfall more than retail, while one year into a new Labour government, consumer sentiment remains cautious.
“The underlying footfall trend may be improving, but this is still negative growth on negative 2024 figures – raising the question: are shoppers returning, or simply shopping around more as they try to spend less?
“Either way, retailers who can offer value, experience, and convenience may be best placed to convert tentative footfall into lasting growth.”
