UK footfall rises following rebound from extreme heatwave

// Footfall across UK retail destinations rose last week from the week before
// The majority of the increase was a rebound from the significant drops on the Monday and Tuesday of the week before last

New research has found that footfall across UK retail destinations rose last week from the week before, with most of it being a rebound.

Data from Springboard found that the majority of the increase was a rebound from the significant drops on the Monday and Tuesday of the week before last when the UK experienced a heatwave.

From Wednesday onwards, when the comparison was against days with more normal summer temperatures, there was a modest week on week rise.


READ MORE: UK retail sales fall to a rate ‘not seen since depths of pandemic’


Footfall rose from last week in all three destination types, with the largest rises occurring in high streets and shopping centres.

All types of town benefited from increased consumer activity, with Central London recording the largest increase, although the uplift is likely to be due to increased tourism.

The increase during this time typically occurs when the schools are on summer break rather than employees returning to offices.

This is demonstrated by the fact the rise in footfall was more muted in both Springboard’s “Back to the Office” Central London benchmark and in city centres outside of the capital (which generally attract fewer tourists).

The rail strike on Wednesday led to a significant drop in footfall in Central London and other city centres around the UK, whilst footfall in market towns rose as employees worked from home.

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