Retail footfall down 0.9% in September
Retail footfall edged down 0.9% year-on-year in September with out-of-town centres reporting the only rise.
Figures released by the British Retail Consortium and Springboard in their monthly footfall monitor show that the drop was up on the 1.1% fall in August and in line with the three-month average of a 0.9% decline.
Footfall in shopping centres fell 2.6%, the deepest decline since October 2013, while footfall in high streets dropped by 0.6%.
Meanwhile, footfall in out-of-town centres was 0.5% higher than a year ago as the centres benefited from continuing demand for big ticket items, particularly furniture.
Never Miss a Retail Update!BRC director general Helen Dickinson said: “September’s footfall figures are a bit of a mixed bag. Out-of-town footfall continues to grow compared to last year which shows that consumers are increasingly confident.
“To look at the figures initially they seem slightly gloomier than they actually are. Despite a dip for the month of 0.9%, largely due to less visits to indoor shopping centres, footfall was up on the 1.1% fall for August which shows that it is going in the right direction.”
All areas of the UK reported declining footfall with the exception of the South East, Northern Ireland and Scotland where footfall rose by 1.4%, 0.2% and 2% respectively.
Dickinson added:”As online sales increase overall we can see how shopping is changing and retailers are adapting. The industry is working hard on providing great online shopping experiences for consumers and this too impacts footfall. However, with Christmas fast approaching footfall is only set to increase on the high street, out-of-town and in shopping centres.”
