UK retail footfall up 6.6% last week
New data has revealed that footfall across UK retail destinations climbed by 6.6% last week compared to the previous seven day period.
The figures from retail specialist Springboard show that footfall was 68.1% higher than in the same week in 2020, but remained 57.3% lower than in the same week in 2019.
Footfall in high streets was up 6.6% from the week before after rising by 4% in the previous week, while the number of vists to retail parks and shopping centres increased by 9% and 4.3% respectively.
Diane Wehrle, insights director at Springboard, said: “Following the anniversary of the start of the lockdown on Monday 22 March, footfall across UK retail destinations last week was higher than it was in the same week in 2020 but still much lower than in the same week in 2019, before the pandemic. Despite the significant gap in activity levels from 2019, footfall once again rose last week from the week before as it has done so in eight of the past nine weeks. However, the uplift was much larger last week, and this was primarily a result of far greater footfall in retail parks and shopping centres; the rise in retail parks most likely due to shoppers upgrading their gardens in advance of the relaxation of restrictions this week.”
Due to lockdown restrictions now easing, Springboard is predicting that footfall could climb by as much as 15% in the week ahead. It also forecasting that footfall will rise by 48% week-on-week when retail stores are allowed to reopen on 12 April.
