Footfall to climb by nearly 50% post lockdown
New figures have predicted that retail footfall will increase by up to 47.9% when non-essential retail and outdoor hospitality reopens in England from 12 April.
Retail specialist Springboard is forecasting that high streets and shopping centres will see the biggest rises in footfall at 59% and 46% respectively. Meanwhile, retail parks are expected to see growth of 26%.
Springboard is also predicting that coastal towns will experience a jump in footfall over the summer months, while regional cities will see footfall rise later in the year due to the eventual return of office workers.
Diane Wehrle, insights director at Springboard, said: “As we approach the 12-month mark since the start of the pandemic in the UK, lockdown fatigue is at its height and the increases in footfall over the last five weeks have indicated the pent up demand for a return to normality.
“We know from when non-essential retail reopened at the end of Lockdowns 1 in June and 2 in December that footfall will rise sharply and we anticipate this will be more prominent than ever before with a rise of up to +47.9%.
“By mid-April, consumers will be looking for sensory and social retail experiences, reconnecting with their favourite brands and purchasing new wardrobes for a summer of social events. We are anticipating a strong initial uplift in April that will continue to rise over the summer months as the economy reopens in the UK.”
Comparing footfall on a year-on-year basis, Springboard said it expects it to be up 128.5% on the same week in 2020, although this will be 61.8% below the 2019 level.
