Lack-lustre August for retail footfall
Retail footfall in August was 1.6% lower than a year ago and down from the 1.1% fall in July.
Figures released by the British Retail Consortium and Springboard in their monthly footfall monitor reveal that both high streets and shopping centres reported a decline.
Footfall in high streets fell by 2.3% while shopping centre footfall dropped by 2.8% to reach its lowest level since January excluding Easter distortions.
Meanwhile, footfall in retail parks rose by 1.7% which was the slowest increase since May 2015 and below the three-month average of 2.5%.
Helen Dickinson, BRC director general, said: “The continued decline in footfall in shopping centres and on the high street is disappointing, but not surprising. The fact that the number of visitors to retail parks has dipped below the three month average is also a clear sign of a lack-lustre August.
“However, it is worth noting that these figures do not take into account the last two days of August (the Sunday and Bank holiday Monday) which will, hopefully, add some cheer to the numbers in September.
“These numbers are a clear demonstration of the continued pressures the UK retail industry is facing. We know that retailers are steadily maintaining sales but at lower prices and to fewer people visiting physical stores.”
Looking across the UK, the East Midlands was the only region to report positive footfall growth at 0.04%.
Footfall in Northern Ireland and Wales improved markedly, with a rise to -2.4% from respective declines 4.5% and 4.4% in July. Scotland reported footfall above the UK average for the first time since April 2015, with an increase to -1.5% from the 2.4% decline seen in June and July.
