// New data shows that the recovery in UK retail footfall slowed last week when the RMT Union held its rail strikes
// Thursday was the worst-performing day for footfall, down 13.7%, while Tuesday saw it slide 9.4%
New figures have shown that the recovery in UK retail footfall was hit last week when the RMT Union held its rail strikes, causing widespread travel disruption
The figures from the British Retail Consortium showed that UK footfall fell by 3.9% in the week to 26 June when compared to the previous four weeks.
The seven-day period saw a series of strikes, with much of the London Underground shuttered on Tuesday, and national rail strikes on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
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Thursday was found to be the worst performing day, with a 13.7% decline, followed by Tuesday at -9.4%.
Looking at the different destinations, high streets put in the weakest performance with a 3.3% decline.
Meanwhile footfall in London fell by 1.4% across the week as whole, but dropped by 7.4% on Tuesday when people were impacted by both both rail and tube strikes.
British Retail Consortium chief executive Helen Dickinson said: “As expected, commuter traffic was hit with many working from home to avoid unnecessary travel, impacting already-vulnerable city centre businesses reliant on those commuters. Whilst we hope footfall will bounce back in the following weeks and months, it comes at a difficult time for businesses as costs are continuing to spiral and consumers are tightening their belts.”
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