UK footfall up 5.3% YoY in Apr 2023, trails March & 3-month avg: BRC

High street footfall saw a significant uptick, with a 10.5 per cent increase in April YoY. While this was 1.9 percentage points better than the previous month, it still fell short of the 3-month average rise of 13.4 per cent. In contrast, retail parks faced a decline in footfall, decreasing by 6.9 per cent YoY in April, which was worse than both last month’s rate and the 3-month average decline of 5.6 per cent, according to recently released data from BRC-Sensormatic IQ.

Shopping centre footfall experienced growth as well, increasing by 7.9 per cent YoY in April, albeit 0.3 percentage points worse than March and below the 3-month average rise of 9.1 per cent. Breaking down the data by nation, England led with the highest increase in footfall at 9.7 per cent, followed by Scotland at 7.7 per cent and Wales at 3.0 per cent. Northern Ireland saw the lowest increase, with footfall rising by just 2.9 per cent.

When compared to pre-pandemic levels (Yo4Y), the data revealed a significant gap yet to be closed. Total UK footfall decreased by 16.2 per cent, with high streets down by 21.2 per cent, retail parks lower by 6.1 per cent, and shopping centres experiencing an 18.2 per cent decrease.

“Footfall saw YoY improvement mainly in high streets and shopping centres, which had been the most affected during the pandemic, and still have the furthest to catch up. Retail footfall is finding a new balance, as the rise in online shopping and spread of hybrid working, has changed consumer shopping habits. As a result, while we expect footfall to continue to improve, it may never reach the levels seen prior to the pandemic,” said Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the BRC.

“The outlook does remain tough however, and double-digit growth was always going to fizzle out as the year went on and footfall trends began to normalise. Nevertheless, rising consumer confidence and a May full of holidays is surely something that retailers can look forward to,” said Andy Sumpter, retail consultant EMEA for Sensormatic Solutions.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (NB)