Footfall fell by almost 3% in June, as Brits favoured shopping online.
According to the latest figures from the British Retail Consortium and data specialist Springboard, consumers also shunned shopping centres for out of town retail parks, with footfall in the former dropping 2.4% lower last month than in May.
“The fundamental shift in the way people are shopping seems to be driving the sustained reduction in shopper numbers to both high streets and shopping centres”, said Helen Dickinson, BRC Director general.
“This is a clear demonstration that the re-invention of the high street is far from complete. The process of creating multi-use destinations in the heart of our towns and cities needs to continue in earnest if people are going to be drawn back to the high street. This has happened in some areas, but the energy and effort behind sharing best practice needs to be redoubled”, she added.
The decline in shopper footfall occurred across all the regions, most notably in Northern Ireland, Wales and the South East. Footfall across the UK retail sector fell in total by 1.5%.
“On the surface an overall drop in footfall of 1.5% does not appear to be hugely detrimental, however, it belies the long term decline in the attractiveness of urban retail destinations to shoppers”, said Diane Wehrle, Marketing and Insights Director at Springboard.
