According to BRC-Sensormatic IQ data, total UK footfall decreased by -2.8% in January (YoY) – up from a decrease of -5.0% in December.
High street footfall decreased by -2.3%, retail park footfall by -1.8%, and shopping centre footfall by -5.0%.
All UK nations saw a fall in footfall YoY. England saw the smallest drop, at -2.6%, followed by Scotland at -2.7%, Wales at -4.5% and Northern Ireland at -6.8%.
Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium (BRC), says: “Footfall remained on a downward trajectory in January, albeit at a slower rate than in December. Many consumers appear particularly bargain-focused, with the first half of the month boosted by the January sales. However, the latter part of January saw fewer shoppers out as stormy weather led to a bigger footfall decline in shopping centres and high streets."
Andy Sumpter, retail consultant EMEA at Sensormatic Solutions, comments: “With disruption from two named storms in January dampening footfall on the high street, retailers also faced tempestuous trading conditions caused by the ongoing cost of living spending squeeze and stubbornly sticky inflation.
"Despite January’s shopper traffic levels remaining down, this was an improved YoY performance when compared to December, which - while marginal - may signal the beginning of a bounceback, giving retailers cause for cautious optimism for a recovery. Many will be hoping as inflation continues to slow, consumer confidence will start to rise enough to loosen the squeeze on incomes to the point that this begins to materially translate into both footfall and sales.”
