Consumer footfall in Northern Ireland fell by 2% in July, which represents a slight improvement compared to the drop of 2.6% in June, according to the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium (NIRC).
However, this is below the three-month average of -0.9% and the twelve-month average of -0.7%.
Footfall declined across all retail locations in July, with a fall of 2.3% seen in retail parks, 1% in shopping centres, and 2.3% on the high street.
Continued Decline
“This is a rather cheerless set of figures, heralding a second successive monthly dip in shopper footfall numbers and with the quarterly shop vacancy rate remaining high," said Aodhán Connolly, director of NIRC.
"Indeed, shopper footfall fell last month at a more pronounced rate of decline than witnessed over the past three-month period as a whole."
"Encouraging shoppers back is crucial to reducing the number of vacant premises, and retailers and shopping destinations are clearly going to have to work harder to attract custom through a blend of improvements including service, ranges, pricing and promotions."
Consumer Confidence
Diane Wehrle, marketing and insights director at Springboard, said, "July’s results might well mark a sea change in consumers’ willingness to spend, as it was the first time since January that footfall dropped during both retail trading hours and into the evening across the UK."
"Over the last few months the growing importance of the leisure based trip has become a key part of the narrative when talking about retail destinations, but a 6.2% drop in Northern Ireland’s footfall post 5pm in July – far greater than the -0.5% across the UK - is clear evidence of a tightening of purse strings on casual dining and leisure trips."
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Sarah Harford. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
