Footfall in high streets and shopping centres continues to decline
Retail footfall fell by 1.2% in January as high streets and shopping centres continued to see a decline in the number of shoppers.
Figures released by the British Retail Consortium and Springboard in their monthly footfall monitor show that shopping centres experienced the biggest decline with footfall dropping by 2.8%. Meanwhile, footfall in high streets fell by 1.6%.
As in previous months, out-of-town retail parks were the only shopping destinations to record an increase with footfall rising by 1.5%. The BRC said the rise was driven by consumers’ growing confidence in buying big ticket items, particularly furniture.
BRC director general Helen Dickinson, said: “January is traditionally strong for online sales and this year was no exception. This has undoubtedly impacted on footfall for high streets and shopping centres and is further evidence of the impact of our changing shopping habits.
“Retailers will be looking closely at these figures to help them harness the growth of e-retailing to drive consumers to their bricks and mortar stores. Click-and-collect services are an excellent example of how this is happening right now and innovations in this area are set to continue for some time to come.”
Looking at the regions within England, the East and South East saw footfall rise by 1.2% and 1% respectively. Footfall in Greater London edged down 0.7%, while the West Midlands and North & Yorkshire saw respective declines of 0.7% and 0.9%.
Wales reported the biggest decline footfall at 4.6% and Scotland reported its first drop in footfall since June 2014, with a fall of 3%. Meanwhile, Northern Ireland saw its footfall edge down 2.4% in the month.
