Retail footfall sees modest rise last week
New data has revealed that footfall across UK retail bricks-and-mortar destinations increased by just 3.3% between Monday 11 and Saturday 16 May in comparison to the week before despite lockdown restrictions being eased in England.
The figures from retail intelligence specialist Springboard show it was a more modest increase compared the 11.7% rise recorded in the previous bank holiday week.
Some of the biggest rises in footfall were seen in coastal and historic towns as people headed out on day trips.
Springboard’s figures show that there was a significant a variation across the UK. Despite lockdown restrictions not being relaxed in Wales, the region saw the biggest week-on-week increase across the UK with footfall up 9.1%. Looking at England, the largest footfall uplift was seen in the South West where it rose by 8%. Springboard attributed the rise to the number of coastal towns in the region. Meanwhile, footfall in central London declined by 4.1%.
Diane Wehrle, insights director at Springboard, said: “It certainly appears that the relaxing of restrictions was well timed, as people had already started to venture out over the past six weeks, and in fact it appears that they are continuing to heed the government’s guidance and are adopting a cautious approach with regard to leaving their homes.”
