Springboard reports slower traffic as schools go back
With the school term resumed for the full week and a slightly chilly turn to the weather it is not surprising that footfall dropped -2.2 per cent against the previous week. The annual drop of -2.7 per cent, although a downward movement, follows the trend of last year, when numbers dropped -1.8 per cent against 2016. What is different, is the changing performance of each of the location types.
Shopping centre numbers slumped last week, falling both -4.2 per cent against the previous week and -4.9 per cent against last year. This annual change is a significant drop on the current year to date performance of -3.0 per cent and a steep change from the +0.9 per cent year on year result that was recorded last year. The high street however saw the opposite turn (although not as far as to jump into positive numbers) with a move from -5.0 per cent in 2017 to an improved -1.8 per cent. Even Retail Parks whose format has provided resilience to changes in consumer behaviour throughout the year, succumbed to annual drop of -2.3 per cent.
There was little variance across the country with just Scotland retail parks achieving growth upon last year, rising +0.5 per cent against last year. And some regions experienced a small weekly rise in consumers to high streets with Greater London leading the way increasing +0.8 per cent.
