Coronation Day saw significant variation in footfall and uplifts in many cities

Footfall across all UK retail destinations on Coronation Day was -20.6 per cent lower than the previous Saturday yet some locations like Knightsbridge saw a 57.7 per cent spike in footfall.

According to recently released data from MRI Springboard, footfall across all UK retail destinations was -20.6 per cent lower than the previous Saturday and -24.6 per cent lower between 10am and 3pm when the ceremony and parade took place.

In the parks of the country where screens were erected to allow the public to watch the Coronation high streets and towns saw spikes of footfall. Like, in King Edward Street in Hull footfall was +3.9 per cent higher than last Saturday between 10am and 3pm, and in New George Street in Plymouth footfall was +7.8 per cent higher over those five hours.

Diane Wehrle, insights director at MRI Springboard, comments: “Yesterday’s Coronation – a once in a lifetime event for many – somewhat inevitably drew consumers away from stores and destinations as many were watching the proceedings.

“However, there was a significant variation across different towns and cities with uplifts in footfall in many. In Central London the increase in visitors to the Capital coming to witness the event in person meant the drop in footfall over the day as a whole was far smaller at -9.3 per cent and footfall between 10am and 3pm was virtually on par with the week before (-0.2%) and in non-retail areas of Central London it was +8.5 per cent higher than last week.

“In Knightsbridge – a location with an iconic British brand but more distant from Westminster Abbey so easier to access – footfall over the day as a whole was +9.7 per cent higher than on the previous Saturday, and a staggering +57.7 per cent higher than the week before over the five hours from 10am to 3pm.

“There were also uplifts in footfall in other towns and cities across the UK, as big screens were erected in some high streets to enable shoppers to watch the proceedings.  In King Edward Street in Hull footfall was +3.9 per cent higher than last Saturday between 10am and 3pm, and in New George Street in Plymouth footfall was +7.8 per cent higher over those five hours.  In Market Square in Sunderland footfall was -20.5 per cent lower during the event itself, but +11.9 per cent higher over the 24 hour period.

“Footfall yesterday across all UK retail destinations was -13.2 per cent lower than on the same day last year, but in Central London it was +11.3 per cent higher than on same Saturday in 2022, +24.3 per cent higher in non-retail areas of Central London and +9.2 per cent higher in Knightsbridge.

“Across all UK retail destinations footfall was -21.2 per cent the 2019 level, but in Central London it was just -6.1 per cent below 2019 and in non-retail areas of Central London it was +10 per cent higher than on the same day in 2019. Over the five hours between 10am and 3pm, footfall in Central London was on par with the 2019 level (+0.2 per cent) and a staggering +32.9 per cent higher than 2019 in non-retail areas of Central London.”