The latest data from retail experts Springboard has revealed that footfall across all UK retail destinations rose by +0.4 per cent on a week on week basis last week, as Britain gets back to work after the August Bank Holiday Monday.
The annual result for UK retail destinations has strengthened to -25%, the best year on year change since the start of the lockdown.
It was only in high streets, where many workplaces are located, that footfall rose from the week before (by +2.6 per cent) versus drops in both retail parks and shopping centres (-0.9 per cent in retail parks and -2.7 per cent in shopping centres).
In Greater London’s high streets, where office employment is greater than in any other part of the UK, footfall rose by +5.3 per cent from the week before, more than in any other area, further suggesting that employees are starting to return to their offices.
Diane Wehrle, insights director at Springboard commented: “The week of August Bank Holiday Monday, which for many households represented the first week that children returned to school, led to a modest rise in footfall across all UK retail destinations. Last week’s result was enough to continue the trend of recovery, delivering the best year on year result since the start of the lockdown in March.”
