Shopper numbers rise for third consecutive month

Footfall across retail destinations advanced for a third month in a row, as the particularly warm May weather saw more people shop in person.

Total UK footfall in May has seen a 0.6 percentage point improvement from April, according to the BRC-Sensormatic IQ data. Footfall on high streets improved by 3.6 percentage points and retail parks by 2.3 percentage points and shopping centres by 0.9 percentage points.

However, the footfall is still to catch up with pre-pandemic figures. Compared to the corresponding period in 2019, total UK footfall declined by 12.5 per cent in May. High Streets witnessed a decline of 13.6 per cent, Retail Parks saw footfall decrease by 6.3 per cent and Shopping Centre suffered the steepest decline, 26.7 per cent.

“Total retail footfall across the UK continued a slow but steady recovery against pre-pandemic levels, edging up to its strongest point since the start of the year when compared to 2019 in May, with the UK continuing to lead the way in the high street recovery compared to its G7 country counterparts,” Andy Sumpter, retail consultant EMEA for Sensormatic Solutions, commented.

Helen Dickinson, chief executive of British Retail Consortium (BRC), noted that the improvement to footfall remains fragile as the cost-of-living bites.

“With UK discretionary incomes falling, government’s financial support to tackle surging energy costs may only provide temporary respite for households. As inflation continues to climb and consumer confidence falls, it is by no means certain footfall will continue to improve in the months to come,” she said.