Footfall drops by 3.2% in October
UK retail footfall declined by 3.2% year-on-year in October as the wet weather and Brexit concerns deterred people from going out shopping.
Figures from the British Retail Consortium and Springboard in their monthly footfall monitor show that this was the worst result for October in seven years.
High street footfall was down 4.9% to mark a much steeper drop than in September when footfall in high streets edged down 1.8%.
Shopping centre footfall declined by 2.4% in October while retail park destinations saw their first drop in five months at 0.5%
Helen Dickinson BRC chief executive, said: “High streets were hit hardest in October with the wet and wintry weather putting off many consumers from venturing out to the shops. Weak consumer demand and Brexit uncertainty have both impacted sales in recent months, and this could be further affected by the imminent election campaigning.”
However, figures from the two organisations show that the UK shop vacancy rate improved to 10 in October from 10.3% in July.
Although welcomimg the news, Diane Wehrle, Springboard marketing and insights director, said “We must be mindful about reading too much into this as it is a trend that has been present in previous years as the number of pop up shops and temporary lets increase in the run up to Halloween and Christmas.”
