Shopper numbers begin to climb back

February has seen a 2.2 percentage point improvement from January in shopper numbers, according to the latest BRC-Sensormatic IQ data.

Total UK footfall was down by 14.9 per cent in February, when compared with the same period in 2020 before the pandemic struck, but it is still better than the 3-month average decline of 17.2 per cent.

The last week of the month has seen the highest number of shopper counts seen since pre-pandemic levels and the UK now leads the top 5 European markets’ footfall recovery.

Footfall on high streets declined by 19.4 per cent in February (Yo2Y), 4.8 percentage points better than last month’s rate, and an improvement on the 3-month average decline of 22.4 per cent.

Retail parks saw footfall decrease by 10.2 per cent (Yo2Y), 2.8 percentage points better than last month’s rate, and an improvement on the 3-month average decline of 10.7 per cent.

Shopping centre footfall declined by 35.2 per cent (Yo2Y), 2.3 percentage points better than last month’s rate, and an improvement on the 3-month average decline of 36.8 per cent.

England saw the shallowest footfall decline of all regions at -14.4 per cent, followed by Northern Ireland at -15.5 per cent and Wales at -17.1 per cent. Scotland saw the steepest decline at -17.5 per cent. The major cities enjoyed the biggest improvements, particularly London, Manchester, and Birmingham as Covid restrictions in England further eased.

“A promising start to the month was briefly dampened by Storm Eunice, before bouncing back in the final week of February, to its highest level since the pandemic began,” Helen Dickinson, chief executive of British Retail Consortium (BRC), said.

She, however, noted that challenges still remain for retailers as consumer confidence has been greatly impacted by rising inflation, and the return of hospitality and tourism creating additional competition.

Andy Sumpter, retail consultant EMEA for Sensormatic Solutions, concurred.

“Our latest data shows consumer concern about in-store safety fell by -18 percentage points year-on-year – shoppers now face new and growing pressures. The cost-of-living squeeze and inflation, which is putting downward pressures on disposable income, and a volatile macroeconomic and geopolitical climate could create a perfect storm of uncertainty for consumers, which could still impact the long-term retail recovery as it looks to build back post-pandemic,” Sumpter noted.