LONDON, 2016-Jul-19 — /EPR Retail News/ —
UK Summary
– Footfall in June was 2.8% down on a year ago, worse than the 0.3% rise in May and the sharpest decline since February 2014
– All three locations reported a decline in footfall for the first time since December 2013
– High Streets reported a 3.7% fall in footfall in June, followed by shopping centres, which recorded a 2.3% decline. Footfall in Retail Parks fell 1.0% after rising 1.0% in May, its worst performance since November 2013
– The best performing Nation/Region was Wales reporting a 0.9% rise in footfall, improving on the 0.8% increase in May. All other countries and regions reported a decline in June
– The West Midlands, Greater London and Scotland witnessed the sharpest footfall declines
Helen Dickinson OBE, Chief Executive, British Retail Consortium, said:
“Despite today’s figures showing the deepest decline in footfall since February 2014, the same period has seen UK retail sales rise. June has seen many distractions from Euro 2016 to Wimbledon so heading out to the shops seems to have slipped down the priority list for many. In the coming months we all must redouble our efforts to remind customers that now is a great time to get out into their local communities.
“Retailers continue to focus relentlessly on delivering for shoppers day in, day out, and they know that providing a great in-store experience is key to driving up footfall. Although there is a level of uncertainty, it is important that this doesn’t deter us from the shopping and leisure activities we all enjoy. The EU referendum will not have changed the in-store experience for customers and, crucially, the price of goods on the shelves. Now is a great time for shoppers as the summer sales begin in earnest following on from a record 38 months of falling shop prices.”
Diane Wehrle, Marketing and Insights Director, Springboard, said:
“With such major political and economic news in June, it is unsurprising that there was drop in footfall of 2.8 per cent across the UK in June, the poorest monthly result for more than two years and a marked worsening of performance since May when footfall rose slightly by 0.3 per cent. The results are shaped by a political and economic storm against a backdrop of rain downpours and generally inclement weather throughout the whole month. Footfall deteriorated from a 0.4 per cent rise in the first week of June to a 4.6 per cent drop during the week of the referendum and a 3.4 per cent drop in the weeks following, as consumer confidence was hit, despite retailers discounting throughout the period in early season sales.
“In the last three weeks of the month the drop in footfall averaged 4.1 per cent compared with just -0.9 per cent in the same weeks last year. Whilst the cooler more rainy weather than last year will explain some of this degradation in performance, it is unlikely that it will have accounted for all the 5 per cent drop in footfall of across UK destinations in the seven days post the referendum. Most significant is the out-of-town footfall decline; the first drop since December 2013. It is more likely that consumers’ attention was diverted in the immediate aftermath – the issue for retailers is how quickly shoppers will return to their usual patterns of behaviour.”
Media Enquiries:
Zoe Maddison
British Retail Consortium
T: 0207 854 8924
E: Zoe.Maddison@brc.org.uk
Source: BRC