Retail footfall rises 7% as shopping centres see improved performance
Coastal and historic towns also benefitted from holidaymakers and day trips as footfall rose by +15.9% and +12.2%, respectively, compared with the week before
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Footfall rose by +7% week-on-week in all UK retail destinations last week driven by a +12% rise in shopping centres and was followed by rises of +5.6% and +4.5% in high streets and retail parks, respectively, according to the latest figures from MRI Software.
Smaller centres drove much of last week’s activity with footfall rising by +8.5% followed by larger centres (+8.4%). The week as a whole was especially strong for shopping centres overall with footfall rising by an average of +16% from Sunday to Thursday compared with the same period in the week before.
High streets experienced a drop in activity averaging -6.4% on Monday and Tuesday which may be related to a turn in weather conditions, however this was short lived as footfall rose by an average of +9.6% from Wednesday to Saturday.
Coastal and historic towns also benefitted from holidaymakers and day trips as footfall rose by +15.9% and +12.2%, respectively, compared with the week before.
Regional cities outside of London also benefited from a +10.3% uplift however office dense locations within the capital saw a modest drop of -1.3%, week on week. The South West (+11.5%), East of England (+9.9%) and North & Yorkshire (+8.1%) also aligned with trends seen in coastal and historic towns indicating the onset of half term.
While week on week trends provided a welcome boost for retail, leisure and dining establishments last week, annual levels remained marginally lower by -0.9%. This was particularly noticeable in retail parks (-1.2%) and high streets (-1.1%), however negligible in shopping centres (-0.3%).
Jenni Matthews, senior brand, PR and content manager (EMEA) at MRI Software, said: “Looking ahead, all eyes will be on whether this wave of holiday-driven engagement can carry forward into June. With the summer season approaching and consumer habits shifting towards experience-rich destinations, retail destinations that offer more than just shopping are likely to remain front of mind for UK families.”
