Footfall across retail plunged in April, as poor weather and an earlier run-up to Easter took its toll.
Total UK shopper visitors fell 7.2% last month, down from a 1.3% decline in March, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) reported.
Shopping centres were the hardest hit destinations, with a 7.2% drop in April, according to the trade association.
High street shopper numbers plummeted almost 7% while retail park footfall was down 6.2% for the period.
All of the UK nations saw a decline in footfall year-on-year, with Northern Ireland experiencing the steepest fall of 11.1%. Meanwhile, Scotland had the smallest drop of just 3.6%.
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However, cancelling out the calendar change of Easter this year, the BRC reported combined March and April figures for 2024 showed total UK retail footfall was only down 4.2%. year-on-year.
Shopping centres saw a 4.9% decline, high streets fell 4%, while retail park visitors dipped 2.7% on the two month basis.
BRC CEO Helen Dickinson said: “While UK footfall was impacted by poor weather last month, this was artificially exacerbated by the comparison with 2023, when Easter was in April.
“All locations saw declines on the previous month, and nearly all major cities performed similarly poorly. However, there was good news in Edinburgh, where footfall was positive once again owing to the investment in local shopping locations in the Scottish capital over the past few years.”
She added: “It is now vital that elected councillors, mayors and Police and Crime Commissioners all play their part in designing the right planning, transport and neighbourhood safety policies to create thriving shopping destinations in communities across the country. These actions, locally and nationally, can contribute to boosting footfall and revitalising retail centres.”
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