Storm Katie disrupts Easter footfall
Over the Easter weekend footfall was down 1.3% year-on-year in UK shopping centres and down 3.5% in retail parks, according to research by British Council of Shopping Centres and retail intelligence specialists, FootFall.
The study found that shopping centre footfall fell on Good Friday, Easter Saturday and Easter Sunday but edged up 0.3% year-on-year on Easter Monday.
Meanwhile, retail park footfall was down on Good Friday and Easter Monday but rose by 0.3% on Easter Saturday and by 2.4% on Easter Sunday.
Edward Cooke, BCSC’s director of policy and public affairs, said: “While the Easter weekend is traditionally one of the busiest trading periods of the year, the varied weather and Storm Katie have disrupted shopper activity and put a dampener on the long weekend – a period when DIY and gardening sales are usually very strong.
“Now that spring has sprung, retailers will be looking forward to the next bank holiday weekend and shoppers are set to benefit from better weather and hopefully increasingly strong spring sunshine set to break through and ensure warmer spells in May.”
