Footfall across all British retail destinations in the days after Christmas was 24.5% lower than the same week in 2019 as the Omicron variant of COVID-19 rapidly spread, Springboard analysts have said.
The number of shoppers was also 15% lower than the previous week, with shopping centres seeing the biggest drop, Springboard said.
Omicron dashed retailers' hopes for a boost in post-Christmas sales this year after COVID-19 restrictions forced many stores in London and south England to close in the same period in 2020.
Footfall on Boxing Day – the day after Christmas Day – was 41% lower than pre-pandemic levels, Springboard said last week.
Signs Of Improvement
However, there were some signs of improvement as the week progressed, with 5.2% more shoppers on the high street on New Year's Eve than on Christmas Eve, a reversal of the situation a year ago.
"Despite the well documented cautiousness of shoppers in the run up to and over Christmas this year, it appears that on New Year's Eve there was a shift in behaviour with footfall in high streets increasing from the week before (Christmas Eve)," said Springboard insights director Diane Wehrle.
"The winners on New Year's Eve were Central London and historic town centres where footfall rose significantly from the week before, whilst declining in smaller local high streets."
Shopper numbers across Britain fell 1.1% in the week to 11 December 2021 versus the previous week, driven by a 2.7% drop in activity on high streets as new COVID-19 restrictions spooked shoppers.
News by Reuters, edited by ESM. For more Retail news, click here. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
