UK DIY News
Week 31: Retail Footfall Declined Week-On-Week
MRI Software has shared the latest footfall data for week 31, Sunday to Saturday, revealing a steady decline on five out of seven days compared to the week before, in all UK retail destinations.
Week 31 – SUN-SAT
Footfall across UK retail destinations declined last week from the week before which was anticipated given that the school summer holidays are in full swing. The shift from the week before was driven by a decline in high street and shopping centre activity followed by a marginal decline in retail parks.
Footfall declined on five out of seven days last week when compared to the week prior in all UK retail destinations with high streets witnessing daily declines except for Monday. Retail parks, however, saw steady rises each day from Monday to Thursday peaking on Wednesday. With storms across much of the UK towards the end of the week, it was inevitable that retail destinations would be impacted with footfall falling on Friday and Saturday, however, this may also be linked to the ongoing summer getaway.
Across the UK, footfall performance fell in all geographies last week apart from Scotland where activity rose week on week. A similar story played out in all town types however coastal towns saw a significant week on week boost in activity which is expected given that this is a seasonal destination.
Despite a decline in retail footfall across the UK last week, footfall rose in the UK’s retail destinations when compared against 2023 levels. This shift was driven by an increase in high street footfall, particularly prominent in London and market towns. Another nod to day trips into towns and cities with the school summer holidays well underway. Retail parks also witnessed a marginal rise in activity year on year however shopping centres experienced a decline.
Footfall declined by -1.6% last week across all UK retail destinations from the week before, with the weakest performance in high streets (-2.1%) followed by shopping centres (-2%) whereas retail parks showed a much more modest decline in activity of -0.3%.
Activity fell in all retail destinations with week on week declines in footfall recorded on five out of the seven days, but this was much more noticeable on Friday (-5%) and Saturday (-5.6%) likely due to the change in weather conditions. High streets experienced daily declines aside from Monday (+2.2%), however, retail parks witnessed the reverse with footfall rising steadily from Monday to Thursday averaging +1.6%.
The great summer getaway was noticeable in all town types with week on week declines recorded across the UK however coastal towns, as anticipated, experienced the opposite with a +9.5% rise in footfall. Regionally, it was a similar story with footfall declining across the board however Scotland bucked the trend with a +3.8% rise in activity.
Overall, footfall last week was +1.6% higher than in 2023, which is an improvement from the week before when it was +1.1% above the 2023 level. High streets drove much of this with a +5.1% uplift however shopping centres and retail parks experienced declines of -3.4% and -0.5%, respectively. The boost in high street footfall year on year was largely influenced by rises in all London and Greater London locations averaging +4.1% and market towns (+5.5%). Coastal towns saw a much more significant year on year boost of +13.2% suggesting the warmer weather is playing its part in driving visitors to seaside resorts.
Source : MRI Software
Insight DIY always publishes the latest news stories before anyone else and we find it to be an invaluable source of customer and market information.