UK retailers saw a muted performance on Super Saturday this year, with in-store visits falling 6.9% year-on-year as shoppers delayed spending and held out for late promotions, according to new data from Sensormatic Solutions.

ShopperTrak Analytics figures show that footfall on Saturday 20 December 2025 failed to match 2024 levels, underlining the ongoing caution shaping this year’s festive trading period. High streets proved the most resilient location type, posting a smaller decline of 3.7% compared with the same day last year.

Despite the softer headline result, data suggests momentum has been building beneath the surface. Store visits on Super Saturday rose 1.5% week-on-week, while retail parks recorded a notable uplift of 10.9% versus the previous week. Footfall across the week leading into Super Saturday also rallied strongly, up 11.2% when comparing 14–20 December with the prior week.

Andy Sumpter, EMEA retail consultant at Sensormatic Solutions, said the weaker-than-expected performance would be a setback for retailers hoping to maximise one of the key days of peak trading.

“As one of the ‘make or break’ days of Christmas trading, soft footfall performance on Super Saturday will have dealt a blow to retailers who would have been hoping to capitalise on trade,” said Sumpter.

Sumpter attributed the pattern to sustained consumer hesitancy, with shoppers taking longer to commit to purchases and waiting to see whether retailers repeat last year’s decision to bring Boxing Day promotions forward into the pre-Christmas period.

“Throughout this year’s festive trading season, we’ve seen consumer caution cause spending hesitancy and upend usual demand patterns,” he said. “We expect the usual last-minute rush to be particularly pronounced, with shoppers leaving purchasing right up to the wire.”

Looking ahead, Sensormatic Solutions expects footfall to strengthen in the final days before Christmas. Tuesday 23 December is forecast to be the third busiest in-store shopping day of the peak trading period, as retailers brace for a surge in last-minute shoppers. Boxing Day, while increasingly affected by online migration, is still predicted to rank as the fourth busiest day for in-store footfall.

The data is drawn from Sensormatic Solutions’ ShopperTrak Analytics platform, which tracks approximately 40 billion store visits globally each year.

Click here to sign up to Retail Gazette‘s free daily email newsletter