The school summer break continued to have a positive impact on visits to shops last week, with footfall across UK retail destinations rising 1.4% week-on-week, following a rise of 2.4% in the prior seven day period.
According to retail data and analytics firm Springboard, the increase in activity on high streets was nearly double the overall result at 2.6%, while in shopping centres the uplift was more modest at 1%, and in retail parks, footfall dipped marginally by -0.6%.
In coastal towns, footfall was up 2.4%, and by an even greater 6.1% in central London, as Springboard said a number consumers would have taken the summer holiday opportunity to make trips to retail destinations further afield.
It said that in market towns footfall also rose by 2.2%, continuing to reflect the benefit of home working to local high streets, while in regional cities outside of the capital, footfall rose by a more modest 0.7%.
Footfall was stronger during the first half of the week before persistent rain set in across the UK, with an average rise from the week before between Sunday and Wednesday of 4.9% across all destinations and 8.1% in high streets.
In sharp contrast, Springboard said that from Thursday to Saturday, footfall declined by 2.3% across all destinations and by 3.6% in high streets.
The ongoing, although modest, rises in footfall from week-to-week meant the gap in footfall from before the Covid-19 pandemic, in 2019, was still narrowing, and last week stood at -20.1% below the pre-pandemic period across all retail destinations.
In retail parks, despite a slight dip from the week before, footfall last week was just -1.9% below the 2019 level, compared to -2.7% in the previous week.
“With the school summer holiday period in full swing, footfall across UK retail destinations continued to improve last week,” said Springboard’s insights director Diane Wehrle.
“In overall terms it was a modest uplift from the week before, however, footfall rose in high streets for the fifth consecutive week for the first time since June 2020 suggesting an underlying strengthening of customer activity.
“High streets were undoubtedly supported by staycations, as in both coastal towns and central London – the focus for many day and holiday trips – footfall rose by more than in local high streets despite the rain.”
