UK high street retailers enjoy Super Saturday as lockdown eases
Footfall on the UK high street is surging during the first weekend after non-essential retail re-opened, according to data from Sensormatic Solutions.
However, shopper traffic still remains below pre-pandemic levels, down almost a third compared to 2019.
Based on its footfall index, which captures 40 billion shopper visits each year, Sensormatic’s data showed that shopper traffic on the high street on Saturday (17th April) rose +178% week-on-week.
An estimated £1.6 billion was spent with physical retailers yesterday, according to the Centre for Retail Research.
In England, shopper traffic rose +196% week-on-week on Saturday, while in Wales, where retail also unlocked on Monday, 12th April after its phased reopening, footfall saw a +168% improvement on the week before.
This followed a +267% week-on-week boost to UK high street footfall on Monday, with pent-up demand prompting large queues at stores, including Primark and JD Sports.
Andy Sumpter, Sensormatic’s Retail Consultant for EMEA, comments: “Retailers will have felt a boost this week, as pent-up demand – not just for spending but also for the experience of going shopping – drew consumers into stores after months of closure.”
He adds: “However, even this pent-up demand hasn’t yet been enough for footfall to recover to pre-pandemic levels.”
“So, while the first green shoots of retail’s recovery are promising, retailers are far from being out the woods yet. “
“Retailers will be counting on shoppers continuing to return to stores past the re-opening phase if any real, long-term recovery is to be sustained.”
“Now is the time for consumers to vote with their feet and choose to ‘use or lose’ the stores that serve their communities.”
