UK high street retailers’ hospitality ‘halo effect’ hopes dashed
UK retail footfall was somewhat underwhelming on the first day of indoor hospitality reopening on Monday, according to Sensormatic Solutions.
Its research, based around 40 billion shopper visits each year, showed that UK traffic fell -6% week-on-week on Monday, with poor weather blamed for keeping people away.
Even though the high street fared slightly better, only dipping -3.3% on Monday compared to the week before, total UK footfall was still down -27% compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Andy Sumpter, Sensormatic’s Retail Consultant for EMEA, comments: ”The estimated £2.5 billion that’s forecast to be spent in pubs, restaurants and cafes this week, shows it’s still all to play for and Monday’s washout can still be turned around as consumers venture out to socialise.”
According to VoucherCodes and the Centre for Retail Research, 104 million people will head out to pubs, restaurants and cafes this week.
While a survey of over 1,000 UK shoppers by Sensormatic revealed that 71% will make a conscious effort to support bricks and mortar now non-essential stores have reopened.
“Hospitality and the high street have always enjoyed a symbiotic relationship, each helping to drive ambient footfall to one another,” Sumpter says.
“So, with hospitality now fully reopened, the vaccination roll-out continuing at pace - and hugging even now back on the menu – both industries will be hoping consumers embrace their new found freedoms, to kickstart recovery.”
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