Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
Footfall in February was 0.5% lower than a year ago but an improvement on the 1.2% fall in January. This is above the three-month average of -0.8% – and the best overall footfall performance since May 2014, according to the latest figures from BRC/Springboard.
Shopping centres reported the largest decline, falling 1.5%, while high streets experienced a 0.6% decline in footfall, up on the 1.6% fall in January. Footfall in out-of-town locations fared the best with a 1% increase year-on-year.
Four regions and countries reported footfall lower than a year ago, with Wales and Greater London reporting the greatest declines. But four regions reported positive footfall growth: East (3%), South East (2.9%), East Midlands (2%) and South West (0.9%). Scotland and Northern Ireland both reported footfall significantly above the UK average, up 1.2% and 1.3% respectively.
British Retail Consortium (BRC) director general Helen Dickinson said: “February largely saw good news overall with high footfall compared to the three month average which was the best performance since May 2014.
“Although it’s usually traditional to see us putting our feet up after the Christmas rush and January sales, this doesn’t seem to be the case for out-of-town shopping. We’re still flocking for those big ticket items with an increase in footfall by 1%. Shopping centres saw a predictable decline for this time of year and retailers will be preparing for increased footfall when consumers feel recovered from taking advantage of all the great Black Friday, Christmas and January offerings.”
Springboard retail insights director Diane Wehrle added: “It’s gratifying that finally there’s some good news for retail locations, as the 0.5 per cent drop in footfall across the UK in February is the best result since May 2014 and a significant improvement on the 2.9% fall recorded in February 2014.
“And whilst retail parks continue to be the only retail environment that is consistently recording an increase in customer activity, it’s positive that the decline in footfall in both high streets and shopping centres slowed in February. High streets performed particularly strongly given the structural change in retailing that has led to a long term decline in high street footfall, with February recording the most favourable result for the past five months.
“As importantly, in contrast to February 2014, footfall in high streets and shopping centres strengthened by a significant margin – a 5.3% drop in high street footfall in February 2014 has reduced to a marginal decline of just 0.6%; and in shopping centres a decline of 1.5% this February compares favourably to 2.4% fall in February last year.
“Furthermore the positive footfall performance is more widely spread across the UK than in previous months, with six of the 10 areas and nations of the UK recording positive growth in February. This indicates a retail landscape that is broadening geographically in strength and appeal, particularly as footfall in Greater London – so long the focus for retail activity – has declined in all but two months since January 2014.”
