Delta, Omicron hit footfall throughout 2021, says Springboard

Footfall across all UK retail destinations dipped to 31.1 per cent lower in 2021, compared with 2019, says retail analyst Springboard’s annual review, which also mentions that due to continuance of blend of office and home working in 2022, stores will see more footfalls in evenings and weekends.

As per Springboard, footfall slightly recovered after the third lockdown, which began in January 2021 and ended on April 12. However, later in the year, the footfall was hit by the increase in infections from both the Delta and Omicron variants.

In July, at the peak of Delta infections, high street footfall was down 30.5 per cent compared with the same month in 2019, and  30.2 per cent down in shopping centres.

The Omicron variant, which led to the government implementing Plan B guidance in December, had a similar effect: high footfall street was 22.2 per cent below 2019 levels and in shopping centres was down 24.1 per cent on 2019.

Springboard has predicted that in 2022 people continue to combine office and home working. This will prompt an increase in the number of retail visits made during evenings and weekends, longer dwell times, and more consumers combining shopping and dining in the evenings, rather than at nearby offices during the day.

It also estimated that, during the year, the proportion of sales made online will continue to increase. As a result, it has advised retailers to prioritise the integration of online and in-store retailing.

Diane Wehrle, insights director at Springboard, said: “With the rapid roll-out of the vaccine in 2021, bricks and mortar has weathered the storm of two new variants, with footfall strengthening every month until December when the government issued Plan B guidance to work from home, which took the froth off of the expected uplift in footfall and sales during the crucial Christmas trading period.”