// Overall footfall plummets 55.7% year-on-year across all retail destinations in the UK, Springboard says
// In the week to Jan 2, it slid 23.2% compared to the previous week as lockdown restrictions were extended across the country
// Footfall in Tier 4 locations was 72.2% lower than last year, while Tier 3 areas saw a 33.9% decline
Footfall across UK retail destinations dived by almost a quarter last week despite Boxing Day sales due to tightened coronavirus restrictions across the country, according to new figures.
Retail research firm Springboard said that shopper numbers slid by 23.2 per cent in the week to January 2, compared with the previous week.
Meanwhile total footfall across UK retail destinations was 55.7 per cent lower than in the same week last year, before the pandemic impacted the country.
READ MORE: Boxing Day footfall drops 75.9% as Brits stay at home
It comes after Tier 4 restriction zones were extended to much of England and Scotland while Wales and Northern Ireland went into national lockdown after Christmas.
The moves mean millions more people are now under lockdown and non-essential shops have had to close in a bid to quell rising Covid case numbers.
The figures revealed that footfall in shopping centres tumbled by 31.8 per cent compared with the previous week.
Meanwhile, footfall on high streets fell by 21.9 per cent while retail park footfall was 16.8 per cent lower week-on-week.
Footfall in Tier 4 locations was 72.2 per cent lower than last year, while Tier 3 areas saw a 33.9 per cent year-on-year decline, Springboard said.
“The end of the festive trading period and tightened government restrictions unsurprisingly saw footfall in UK retail destinations drop significantly at the end of 2020,” Springboard insights director Diane Wehrle said.
“Moving into a new year, with the extension of Tier 4 across virtually all of England and lockdowns in place in the devolved nations, retailers are unlikely to see any respite until restrictions are eased in the coming weeks or months.
“We know from our experience of retail reopening in June 2020 that until the widespread rollout of the vaccine, retail footfall will remain significantly below the pre-Covid level.”
with PA Wires
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