Halloween fails to scare consumers into buying
Figures released by FootFall paint a worrying picture for the retail environment, with the level of shopper visits during October still significantly down on last year despite Halloween and half term.
Natasha Burton at FootFall, said “Even though the number of people shopping has increased week-on-week by 13.3% and month-on-month by 3.8%, which has provided retailers with a temporary boost in sales, the outlook for the build up to Christmas is a bleak one as numbers have been consistently falling year-on-year since July.
“Consumers are wary of spending to the levels seen in previous years because they have concerns over rising household bills and petrol costs. Also, this October has seen some of the hottest days recorded for a number of years, which is discouraging shoppers who would usually be purchasing winter clothing and seasonal items.
“This Christmas is going to a really trying time for retailers. Consumers are showing that they are being cautious in their purchases and are favouring the department stores who seem to be getting it right, with an uptake in visits of over 25% and an increase on last year of 0.6%.
“They have been attracting shoppers by holding clever sales events and have succeeded in bucking the trend where other retailers are failing and they could prove to be the big winners with consumers in the run up to Christmas,”
