High street retailers suffered another blow as soaring temperatures over the May bank holidays failed to tempt people into the shops.
According to the latest Retail Traffic Index from Ipsos Retail Performance, the number of people visiting non-food stores plunged by 8.6 per cent in May compared to the same period last year.
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On a month-on-month basis, footfall was also down 1.4 per cent compared to April.
Retailers experienced a dramatic year-on-year decrease over the early May bank holiday weekend, with those in the South faring worst with a 30 per cent drop.
However, by the second May bank holiday, only two regions saw footfall drop into double figures: Scotland and Northern Ireland with a 16.5 per cent decrease and Wales with a drop of 10 per cent.
South East England and London saw the biggest year-on-year drop in footfall in May at 13 per cent, followed by the Midlands with a fall of 9.3 per cent and Scotland and Northern Ireland with 7.9 per cent.
Two regions saw footfall fare better in May than in April, with the North and South East England & London experiencing modest increases of 1.6 per cent and 0.2 per cent respectively.
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