Retail footfall declined by 1.7% in September
Retail footfall declined by 1.7% year-on-year in the UK in September with no region experiencing growth in the number of shoppers.
Figures from the monthly footfall monitor released by the British Retail Consortium and Springboard show that the East and Wales saw some of the sharpest declines with footfall dropping by 5.3% and 5.5% respectively.
Helen Dickinson, BRC chief executive said: “September saw a continuation of the trend for decreased footfall at UK shops, with overall figures down 1.7% on September 2017. Shoppers are feeling the squeeze of increasing shop price inflation and little real wage growth.
“This month’s footfall figures are yet further demonstration of the increasingly difficult operating environment British retailers are facing. And yet, the country’s largest private sector employer is not seeing any action from Government to help.”
High Street footfall fell by 2.2% to mark two months of consecutive decline. Footfall in the category dropped in all regions with Wales and Northern Ireland seeing the steepest declines.
Footfall in shopping centres was down by 2.5% in the month although this represented a deceleration from July and August when it fell by 3.4% and 2.4% respectively,
Meanwhile, retail park footfall growth was down to 0.1% in September from a 0.3% increase in August. Looking at the regions, the East experienced a negative swing from growth of 5.1% in August to a decline of 5.6% in September. Northern Ireland saw an end to its four-month growth as footfall in the category dropped by 6.1%.
Diane Wehrle, Springboard marketing and insights director, said the overall decline in UK footfall reflected the underlying constraints on consumer spend. She added: “A drop in footfall of 1.7% in September – an even slightly greater rate of footfall decline than the 1.6% decline in August – provides further evidence of the current challenges facing bricks and mortar retail.“
