Footfall declined across all three destination types, with the largest drop of -7.1% in shopping centres, where footfall has risen most in the week before last, versus -5.6% in high streets and -2.8% in retail parks.
In Central London and other cities across the UK the drops in footfall of -7.9% and -3.5% respectively last week from the week before were more modest than the week-on-week rises in the previous week of +14.9% and +9.4% reflecting the contribution of employees as they returned to their offices.
The drop in footfall across the UK’s geographies ranged from -2.2% in Scotland to -10.3% to Northern Ireland. Footfall only rose in two geographies; by +7.2% in Wales and by +2% in the West Midlands where the school half term occurred last week.
The drop in footfall last week from the week before meant that the uplift in footfall from 2022 fell back to +3.9% from +22.5% in the previous week, and the gap from the 2019 footfall level widened to -14.4% from -10.9% in the week before last.
Diane Wehrle, insights director at MRI Springboard: “Somewhat inevitably footfall fell back once again last week in response to the uplift that occurred in the week before last as a consequence of the school half-term holiday, with particularly large drops between Monday and Wednesday which were the days during the half term week that had recorded the largest rises. Declines occurred across all three key destination types, but there was a slightly larger week on week drop in shopping centres than in high streets or retail parks.
“Footfall declined across all the range of town types, however, the drop in footfall in Central London and other city centres last week was more modest than the rise in the week before last, clearly cushioned by employees returning to their offices. In contrast, in coastal towns which are attractive for day visits and in smaller high streets the reverse was true.
The decrease in footfall occurred in eight of the ten UK geographies, with only Wales and the West Midlands recording increases from the week before last, where the school half term occurred last week.”
| Week beginning 19/02/2023 (Sunday to Saturday) | |||
| Year on year % change in footfall – 2023 vs 2022 | Week on week % change in footfall | % change in footfall – 2023 vs 2019 | |
| All UK Destinations | 3.9% | -5.3% | -14.4% |
| UK High Streets | 7.7% | -5.6% | -17.5% |
| UK Retail Parks | -1.3% | -2.8% | -5.2% |
| UK Shopping Centres | 1.3% | -7.1% | -17.0% |
