Consumers choose Easter sunshine over shopping
The high street was no match for hot weather over the Easter weekend, as many consumers chose sunshine over shopping trips.
The figures from Footfall showed a continuing fall in shopper numbers as the temperatures rose, with drops of 12.5% on Good Friday and 15.1% on Easter Saturday compared to last year. Despite an encouraging turnaround in activity by Bank Holiday Monday, with 1.2% more people on the high street than last year, overall footfall levels were down 10.3% over the weekend, compared to Easter 2006.
Natasha Burton, spokesperson for FootFall, comments: “The UK’s high street retailers struggled for their share of consumer spend this Easter, with the battle closely fought between homes and gardens, leisure activities and the high street. Despite holding numerous high-profile events and mid-season sales in a last-ditch attempt to draw shoppers indoors, the anticipated warm weather proved more enticing to consumers. This resulted in a significant decline in footfall levels compared to last year, which continued throughout Friday and Saturday as consumers delayed planned shopping trips.
“After a missed day’s trading on Sunday, retailers were relying on a surge of shoppers back to the high street on Monday. They were not disappointed, as shopper numbers rose to +1.2% on the same day in 2006. Shoppers seem to have put off their high street trips until the last day of the holiday, anxious to make the most of the weather in case it didn’t last.”
