Latest data from retail experts Springboard has revealed that footfall across UK retail destinations rose by +7% last week from the week before.
There were increases in activity in each of the three key destination types, but in shopping centres the rise was greater than in high streets or retail parks and nearly three times as large as the average over the previous six weeks.
According to Springboard, footfall rose in all types of high street apart from in coastal towns where it dropped by -7.9%. In Central London footfall rose by +14.3%, however, in other regional cities outside of the capital the uplift was more modest at just +2.3%. And footfall in market towns rose by +6.2% bringing the annual decline to -53.1% versus -67.9% in regional cities.
Diane Wehrle, Insights Director at Springboard commented: “As we approach the anniversary of the first Lockdown we can see the significant degree to which consumer activity has changed since the same week in 2020; footfall across UK retail destinations rose once again last week – the seventh rise in eight consecutive weeks – whilst in the same week last year footfall not only declined but, as consumers were receiving more and more messages concerning the spread of the virus, the drop was greater than in the previous eight weeks. With non-essential stores still closed until 12th April, the steady increase in visits to high streets and shopping centres delivers further evidence of the degree of pent up demand amongst consumers to return to stores.”
