Figures reveal that despite bank holidays and better weather, retail foot traffic in the UK is still significantly lower than it was a year ago. This is because customers are still purchasing online.
Data from the British Retail Consortium-Sensormatic IQ showed that overall foot traffic was down 3.6 per cent from a year ago, but better than it was in April when it dropped by 7.2 per cent.
Foot traffic on the high streets decreased by 2.7 per cent, while visits to retail centres decreased by a muted 4.5 per cent from May of last year. While April’s numbers showed improvement, all UK countries reported a year-over-year decline, with Northern Ireland suffering the least at 3 per cent and Scotland leading the pack at 5.4 per cent.
BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson said, “Retailers will be hopeful that a warm summer, coupled with events such as the European Championships and Olympics, will boost footfall across all major shopping destinations across the UK.”
