Retail footfall down 1.2% in September
New figures have shown that retail footfall declined by 1.2% year-on-year in September to mark the third consecutive monthly drop of more than 1%.
The data from the British Retail Consortium and Springboard in their monthly footfall monitor shows that high street footfall fell by 2.2%, which was a smaller decline than August’s 2.6%.
Meanwhile, footfall in shopping centres dropped by 1% following a 0.8% fall in August.
Footfall in retail parks continued to grow for a seventh consecutive month but the uplift was reduced to 1.1% from 1.6% in August.
Helen Dickinson, BRC chief executive, said: “For the third consecutive month, most shopping destinations suffered a decline with retail parks continuing to buck the trend; attracting more visitors than the previous year and the opposite being true for high streets.
“There’s an urgent need to stall the growing number of retail locations, particularly in more vulnerable parts of the country, falling further and further behind by attracting shoppers to retail destinations with the right mix of products, experience and convenience. But this is where the conundrum lies for retailers: the growing cost of doing business leaves little to no wiggle room for investment in their store proposition.”
The East was the only region to see increased growth in September with an uplift of 1.9%.
The deepest declines in footfall were in Northern Ireland at 4.3% and the South West at 2.4%. However, the drop in Greater London slowed to 0.9% from 2% in August.
Diane Wehrle, Springboard marketing and insights director, said: “September’s sales rose due to inflation, but the accelerating decline in footfall is a strong indicator of consumers railing back spending. Aggressive early season sales indicate retailers are spooked, and they will be on edge with the six-week countdown now on to the start of the festive shopping season.”
