FootFall in April 2010 rises by 1.6 per cent compared to April 2009
The Experian FootFall UK National Index for April 2010 produced a year-on-year increase of 1.6 per cent compared to April 2009.
The Retail Park Index also showed a positive year-on-year growth of 1.7 per cent.
In terms of May so far, the wet May Day Spring Bank Holiday Monday resulted in a substantial 4.9 per cent increase in comparison to the same Bank Holiday last year.
Meanwhile, following the General Election there were 1.9 per cent fewer shoppers on the high street on Friday 7th May compared to the same Friday last year. By Saturday performance was flat compared to last year and it was on Sunday when shoppers returned to the high street, resulting in a significant 5.5 per cent increase compared to the same Sunday last year.
According Anita Manan, senior analyst, Experian: “April’s performance is encouraging given we saw some sunshine last month as well as the half-term holidays and six days of Air Traffic disruption caused by volcanic ash.
“In spite of February’s snow impacting figures at the start of Spring, in the past three months we have witnessed a succession of positive year-on-year rises, the first in two years. This may indicate consumer confidence is stabilising, although we should remain cautious since tough trading conditions persist and some retailers have been discounting heavily to clear stock.
“The rise in footfall to retail parks is likely to have been driven by consumers shopping for their home and garden in light of the good weather we have been enjoying. If the sunshine continues in May, retailers will be hoping for a further increase in footfall as they look to promote outdoor leisure items such as barbecues, DIY and gardening accessories.
“It will be interesting to see how the ultimate outcome of the General Election impacts on shopping behaviour going forwards in 2010.”
