Latest data from retail experts Springboard reveals that footfall declined by -1.2 per cent across all UK retail destinations last week from the week before, which was only around a third of the week on week decline of -3.1 per cent in the previous week. Virtually all of this drop was driven by high streets, where footfall declined by -3 per cent compared with a very modest drop of -0.1 per cent in shopping centres and a rise in footfall of +1.3 per cent in retail parks.
With restrictions varying across the four nations, England saw a modest decline of 0.9 per cent, whilst in Scotland it dropped by -2.7 per cent, by -3.8 per cent in Wales and by -12.2 per cent in Northern Ireland.
Diane Wehrle, insights director at Springboard commented: “The range of additional restrictions that came into effect at the end of last week have not yet had a noticeable impact on footfall in retail destinations generally across the UK. However, with the exception of Wales which entered a fire break for 17 days, retail stores are continuing to trade which together with fact that the restrictions commenced on Saturday – the last day of the week period – mitigated the impact on the week as a whole.
