// Post-Christmas sales failed to appeal as footfall dropped 4%
// However, December 27 & December 28 were now key shopping dates, with footfall on each of these days performing 7% higher than on Boxing Day
Post-Christmas sales failed to revitalise the UK’s high streets as footfall dropped by four per cent compared with 2018.
After a flat two weeks before Christmas, footfall dropped on all but one day between December 26 and January 1, according to Springboard.
Footfall rose across all destinations by 11.1 per cent on December 30, which was likely down to the fact that the day fell on a Monday rather than a Sunday in 2018, allowing for longer trading hours.
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Footfall on December 27 dropped by 2.3 per cent, performing better than Boxing Day’s fall of 8.6 per cent on the year before.
According to Springboard, December 27 and December 28 were now key shopping dates, with footfall on each of these days documenting at least seven per cent higher than on Boxing Day.
“Post 5pm on Boxing Day, footfall declined by less than over the 24 hours, suggesting that consumers are increasingly using Boxing Day primarily for leisure purposes, going out to eat or to the cinema, but possibly combining this with a visit to retail stores rather than shopping being the main focus of the trip,” Springboard insights director Diane Wehrle said.
Meanwhile, New West End Company recorded a slightly better result, with post-Christmas footfall up 0.2 per cent on 2018.
New West End Company head of insights Artjom Hatsaturjants said: “Over the seven days post Christmas more than 5.2 million shoppers visited the West End, with stores reporting a strong presence of international shoppers over the period from the Middle East, China and the US boosting footfall with a year on year increase of 0.2 per cent over the period.”
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