// Springboard reports footfall in UK retail destinations rose by 4.9% last week from the week before
// Comparing footfall to the same week in 2020, the number of shopper visits was 14.2% higher overall
Footfall in UK retail destinations increased by 4.9 per cent last week from the prior seven day period.
The latest data from Springboard revealed that high streets and shopping centres fared the best with respective uplifts of 6.9 per cent and 4.8 per cent. Meanwhile, retail parks saw a more modest rise of 0.8 per cent.
Footfall across all retail destinations rose by an average of 3.9 per cent from Sunday to Friday from the week before, however this rose to 8.2 per cent over the August bank holiday weekend as shoppers made the most of the long weekend ahead of back to school this week.
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Despite the bank holiday weekend uplift in footfall, there was a sharp dip of 11.7 per cent on bank holiday Monday.
A large proportion of this decline came from shopping centres where footfall declined by 10.8 per cent, but in contrast, retail park footfall grew by 4.5 per cent as shoppers headed to food stores to restock on household essentials.
Meanwhile, the number of visits to retail destinations in coastal towns rose by 19.8 per cent over the bank holiday weekend, and by 20.1 per cent in historic towns.
Springboard insights director Diane Wehrle said: “The bank holiday weekend was particularly positive for towns that appeal to both day and overnight visitors such as coastal and historic towns, demonstrating the significance of staycations this year.”
Comparing footfall to the same week in 2020, the number of shopper visits was 14.2 per cent higher overall and 23.4 per cent more in high streets.
In contrast, the gains made by retail parks and shopping centres last week from 2020 were far more modest, with footfall 3.2 per cent higher than the 2020 level in retail parks and 5.7 per cent higher in shopping centres.
The strengthening of retail is reflected in the comparison with 2019, with the gap across all retail destinations last week from 2019 at -16.3 per cent.
Wehrle added: “The positive news for bricks-and-mortar retail destinations is that footfall last week was noticeably higher than in the same week in 2020 when the August bank holiday also occurred, particularly in high streets; and the gap from 2019 was the smallest of any week since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.”
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