Recent data indicates a marginal 0.4% week-on-week increase in UK retail footfall for the period of November 12-19. Despite this slight uptick, footfall has contracted by 2.2% compared to the same period last year, a trend attributed to adverse weather conditions and a deliberate delay in anticipation of Black Friday sales, according to insights from MRI Software, retail analysts.
High streets emerged as the standout performers, witnessing a resilient 1% rise in foot traffic. Shopping centers also experienced a modest uptick of 0.6%, while retail parks, typically robust, saw a decline of 1.3% from the previous week.
The retail landscape unfolded in two distinct phases. The first half of the week recorded an overall footfall decrease of 5.5% across all UK destinations, primarily due to challenging weather conditions. However, the latter part of the week saw a reversal, with high streets enjoying a significant 6.7% surge from Wednesday to Saturday compared to the previous week.
Encouragingly, there’s a glimmer of optimism for the high street, with the footfall gap narrowing from -13.9% to -13.6% compared to pre-pandemic 2019 levels. Nevertheless, when considering all UK retail destinations, the gap widened from -11.4% to -12.2%, driven by an increased gap in shopping centers, expanding from -16.6% to -18.1%, while retail parks saw a decrease from -0.5% to -2.9%.
Geographically, footfall received a boost in seven out of ten UK regions. Notably, Scotland faced a substantial decline of -5.1%, impacted by inclement weather conditions. Coastal towns and Greater London also experienced footfall decreases of 4.6% and 3.7%, respectively. Despite these challenges, retailers remain optimistic as they navigate the dynamic landscape in anticipation of Black Friday.
