UK footfall plateaus in June as Covid changes shopping habits
Overall UK footfall levels in June saw little improvement on the previous month, although retail parks and shopping centres experienced an uptick, according to research from the British Retail Consortium and Sensormatic IQ.
Total footfall decreased by 27.6% in June (Yo2Y), with a 0.1 percentage point improvement from May.
Footfall is down on pre-pandemic levels, as the public are making more purposeful shopping trips, with less browsing and more buying.
With most overseas holidays on hold, many Brits have sought out-of-town escapes while foreign tourist numbers have fallen. This appears to have helped footfall in smaller towns and cities.
“Retailers are hopeful that footfall will recover further with the move to the final stage of the roadmap, particularly as office workers begin to return to work in larger cities,” says Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive at British Retail Consortium.
“The ongoing vaccination programme is essential to the UK economy’s success in the future, as future lockdowns would imperil the current recovery. Government must provide clear and consistent guidance on 12th July to ensure both the public and businesses know what is expected of them.”
Andy Sumpter, Retail Consultant EMEA at Sensormatic Solutions, comments: "With most restrictions expected to be lifted on 19th July, we can finally hope to see what the somewhat over-referenced new normal may actually look like.”
“As more people start to venture back to their offices, the much missed commuter business will be a welcome return. Retailers will also be hoping their customers have missed browsing without restrictions, as much as they have missed their customers."
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