// Retail footfall in UK increased in November thanks to Black Friday
// Figures remain below pre-pandemic levels as Springboard expects “a lull in footfall over the forthcoming weeks”
Footfall across UK retail destinations in November was boosted by Black Friday as consumers returned to stores.
However, figures remain well below pre-pandemic levels, according to data from Springboard.
Compared with the same period last year, high streets and shopping centres reported a footfall increase of 5%. Footfall in retail parks was up by 0.7% on 2021’s levels.
Subscribe to Retail Gazette for free
Sign up here to get the latest news straight into your inbox each morning
However, footfall weakened to -11.2% below 2019, down from -9.8% in October.
Footfall in shopping centres was 7.3% below November 2019, and down 12.4% on high streets. This is due to footfall in small-to-medium-sized shopping centres being down 20.9% on 2019, and 16.3% below in the largest centres.
Springboard expects “a lull in footfall over the forthcoming weeks”, which is expected post-Black Friday.
Springboard insights director, Diane Wehrle said: “It is clear that footfall in many smaller malls has been adversely impacted by store closures, some of which will have commenced pre-Covid as retailers began rationalising their store networks, which was then heightened during the Covid period, when stores closed and did not reopen when all restrictions were lifted.”
“This is further exacerbated by the response of some landlords to the lacklustre performance of smaller centres, which has led to them cutting back on investment.
“In contrast, in the face of hybrid working which has suppressed the recovery of footfall, many high streets have invested heavily in marketing and transforming themselves seasonally.”
