Total UK footfall up 3.3% YoY in Sept following 0.4% drop in Aug

High street footfall increased by 0.9 per cent YoY in the month, up from a 0.3-per cent drop in August.

Retail park footfall increased by 7.3 per cent YoY, up from a 2.6-per cent rise in August. Shopping centre footfall increased by 2.3 per cent YoY, up from a 1.8-per cent fall in the preceding month.

All four devolved nations saw YoY increases in footfall. Footfall in Northern Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales increased by 2.5 per cent, 0.7 per cent, 3.6 per cent and 5.4 per cent YoY respectively.

The data covers the five weeks between August 25 and September 28.

“Footfall rose for the first time in over a year as mild temperatures combined with weak footfall last year led to strong growth in September. It was neither too hot nor too cold for customers, leaving retailers in the sweet spot for additional shopping trips,” Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, said.

“This compared positively to last year when the intense heatwave caused many people to stay home and delay purchases of autumnal clothes and products. Retail parks continued to perform particularly well as the increased rain drove some people towards shopping areas with nearby parking,” she added.

ALCHEMPro News Desk (DS)