The hot and sunny weather last week, from 3rd-9th September, saw UK footfall across all retail destinations fall by -4.1 per cent compared to the week before, as more workers returned to their offices and schools began their autumn term.
However, according to the most recent data from retail experts MRI Springboard, that was a better outcome than the same week a year ago, when foot traffic decreased by -6.5 per cent.
High streets performed the best out of the three retail locations last week, with a decline in foot traffic of just -1.9 per cent from the week before, compared to a considerably more drastic drop in foot traffic on high streets of -7.3 per cent in 2022.
Diane Wehrle, Insights Director at MRI Springboard, said, “The amazing weather last week provided a marginal boost to footfall across UK retail destinations in comparison with the same week last year, but it failed to move the dial in terms of an uplift from the week before (which saw an uplift of 1.1 per cent).”
Footfall in retail parks and shopping centres last week saw drops of -4.3 per cent and -8.6 per cent respectively, which was similar to the week-on-week declines in the same week in 2022 of -4 per cent and -7.3 per cent.
Smaller high streets experienced more resilient foot traffic at the beginning of the school year than city centres or tourist-friendly towns. Footfall increased by 2.1 per cent in outer London compared to the previous week, while it decreased by just -1 per cent in market towns, compared to losses of -7.8 per cent and -6.9 per cent in coastal and historic towns, -3 per cent in Central London, and -5.5 per cent in other cities in the UK.
