Retail footfall fell last month, with both high streets and shopping centres seeing a decline in shoppers.

Total UK footfall dropped 0.4% year on year over the period covering 6 July to 2 August, rising from -1.8% in June, according to trade association the British Retail Consortium (BRC). 

High street footfall declined 1.7% year on year over the month, increasing from -3% in June.

Shopping centre footfall also fell 0.3% year on year in July, jumping from -1.6% the month before. 

However, retail park footfall increased by 1.7% year on year over the month, rising from -1.1% in June, the organisation revealed.

Footfall in Wales nudged up 0.4% compared to the year prior. Despite this, footfall declined year on year across all other nations, falling 0.3% in England, 1.3% in Scotland and 3% in Northern Ireland.

BRC CEO Helen Dickinson said: “July failed to bring about the summer boost in shoppers many retailers had hoped for. 

“Instead, footfall dipped in July for the second consecutive year. There were bright spots, with Manchester, Birmingham, and Leeds all showing an improvement in numbers of store visits.” 

“Retail parks continued to outperform other destinations with some seeing big brands opening new outlets.”

She added: “Customers want a vibrant shopping destination, but with around one in seven shops lying empty, more needs to be done to turn town and city centres into places people want to visit. 

“While government’s plan to reduce business rates for most retail, hospitality and leisure premises is a step in the right direction, only a substantial cut will truly benefit communities nationwide and help bring thousands of empty shops back into use. 

“Many smaller shops and businesses rely on larger anchor stores to attract footfall so the upcoming reforms must also ensure no store pays more, or risk seeing many larger stores close their doors or raise their prices.”

Last month, the BRC reported that inflation shook consumer confidence over July as the UK economy shrunk for the second consecutive month.

Consumer expectations of the state of the economy over the next three months worsened to -33 in July, compared to -28 in June, the BRC-Opinium data revealed.

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