Footfall shows first signs of Omicron impact as more shoppers stay local

The emergence of the new coronavirus Omicron variant is starting to impact shopper behaviour in Britain, researcher Springboard said on Monday.

It said that in the week to 4 December, overall UK shopper numbers, or footfall, rose 0.7 per cent versus the previous week and was up 0.5 per cent in central London.

However, Springboard noted its central London "Back to the Office Benchmark", comprising only those areas in close proximity to offices, fell 2 per cent and there was a 3.8 per cent drop in footfall in regional cities outside of the capital.

Springboard said footfall rose 1 per cent in small market towns as more shoppers stayed local.

"Last week...provided the first evidence of an early impact on footfall of the Omicron variant," said Diane Wehrle, Springboard's insights director.

Britain first expressed concern about the new variant on 25 November.

There have so far been 246 confirmed cases of Omicron in Britain. The variant appears to be more transmissible, while tests continue to see whether it causes more severe disease or if vaccines are less effective against it.

Springboard said the gap in shopper numbers from the 2019 level was 17.4 per cent last week, but footfall was 43 per cent higher than in 2020.