Bank Holiday weekend drives footfall up

Footfall across UK retail destinations rose last week, shows latest figures, ahead of anticipated drop in footfall over the coronation weekend.

According to retail experts MRI Springboard, footfall across destinations rose by +3.8 per cent last week from the previous week, with increases in footfall seen in all three key destination types, with the largest week on week rise of +5.3 per cent occurring in shopping centres versus +3.5 per cent in UK high streets and +3 per cent in retail parks.

Consumers clearly took an extra day out at the start of the bank holiday weekend, with footfall ramping up significantly from Friday onwards; the average week on week change from Sunday to Thursday was just +0.9 per cent, but averaged +10.3 per cent over Friday and Saturday (+11.1 per cent on Friday and +9.5 per cent on Saturday).

MRI Springboard’s forecast for an uplift in footfall over the bank holiday weekend averaging +12 per cent appears to have been borne out, with an increase in footfall over Saturday and Sunday of +12.9 per cent from the week before last.

Diane Wehrle, insights director at MRI Springboard, comments: “Footfall across UK retail destinations continued to strengthen last week in the lead up to the early Spring Bank holiday weekend, with footfall rising from the week before last across all three key destination types. There was a noticeable uplift from Friday onwards, with MRI Springboard’s forecast for the increase in footfall over the weekend appearing to have been borne out.

“Footfall rose across all UK geographies and town types, and not unexpectedly the largest week on week rises amongst the town types were recorded in coastal and historic towns. However, some consumers also clearly stayed local, as there was a rise in footfall in smaller more local high streets that was almost as great as in coastal and historic towns, and larger than in city centres around the UK.

“With the rise in footfall over the bank holiday weekend on track with MRI Springboard’s forecast, we are anticipating a drop in footfall over the coronation weekend. This is also likely to occur in Central London but to a lesser degree as the rise in footfall this weekend was not as great as across the UK and many people will visit the capital to witness the event.

“Whilst the overall footfall level in Central London will be lower than over the weekend just gone, in areas like Knightsbridge that are iconic in terms of the British Brand but relatively distant from Westminster Abbey we are anticipating that footfall will be more resilient.”