Retail footfall in the UK in the four weeks to 25 May has declined by 3.5% year-on-year, the lowest in six years, according to BRC-Springboard footfall and vacancies monitor.
The footfall declined by 0.7% on a three-month basis, while the average footfall decline for the six and 12-month period was 1.3% and 1.4% respectively.
'Poor Result'
Marketing and insights director at Springboard, Diane Wehrle, commented, “The -3.5% drop in footfall in UK bricks and mortar destinations in May is a poor result and is consistent with the drop in sales for the month."
"However, we should note the year on year comparisons are off the back of a particularly strong result in May last year of -0.4% which was boosted by warm weather and special events and followed on from a challenging April marred by bad weather and loss of seasonal sales due to the early March Easter."
British retail sales posted a decrease of 2.7% in May, the ‘biggest decline on record’ since sales began to be tracked, in January 1995, according to data from BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor.
Retail Destinations
Footfall in high streets declined by 4.8% during the period. In May of last year, it increased by 0.5%.
Retail park footfall dropped by 0.8% during the four weeks, compared with an increase of 0.6% during the same period last year.
Shopping centres saw a 3.6% decline in footfall in May of this year in contrast with a 2.9% decline during the same period in 2018.
Contributing Factors
BRC chief executive, Helen Dickinson OBE, said, "The UK experienced the worst footfall figures in six years, with declines in every region, and across high streets, retail parks and shopping centres."
"The colder weather, as well as ongoing political and economic uncertainty, made many consumers think twice before heading out to the shops this May," she explained.
The study also found that the most significant drop in footfall occurred post 5:00 pm.
According to Wehrle, changes in dining habits among consumers and the lack of tempting food offers by diners contributed to the decline.
The Impact
Dickinson observed that while customers stayed away from retail destinations in May, retailers had to pay the cost of running their businesses.
"These rising costs are making many retailers rethink investment decisions, as well as contributing to store closures up and down the country," she added.
"The Government must act to reform this anachronistic tax system or it will be the consumers who suffer the shuttered windows at their local shopping locations."
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
