Bomb attacks floor retail
The latest figures from SPSL’s Retail Traffic Index show that yesterday’s bomb attacks in Central London severely affected retail.
The number of shoppers in stores within the London Congestion Zone was reduced by 77% on Thursday 7th July compared with the previous Thursday (30th June). The reduction in shopper numbers was due to several factors including fear of further attacks, early closing by some retailers, lack of access due to road closures and a desire by many to return home as soon as possible under difficult circumstances.
According to Dr Tim Denison, Director of Knowledge Management at SPSL, “We expect the negative impact of the central London bombs to continue for some time, although the effect will reduce over the next few weeks.
In the short term we anticipate shoppers will tend to avoid travelling on public transport, visiting high-profile destinations and shopping in high-profile stores. In the medium term we may well see fewer foreign or out-of-town visitors in London.”
