UK Retail Footfall Decline Eases in December Despite Restrictions

Recent research by Springboard reveals a slight improvement in the number of shoppers visiting stores across the UK despite the restrictions imposed by the government. Overall footfall of shoppers declined by 41.9% during the month of December, better than the 51.2% drop seen in November after the government announced more lockdowns due to the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

High street stores saw the sharpest decline during December, with footfall dropping by 50.8% in December. Meanwhile, shopping centres experienced a 45.6% decline in footfall during what is otherwise peak shopping season ahead of Christmas. The more spacious retail parks which also house supermarkets and have ample provisions to implement social distancing measures saw footfall decline by only 18.7% in comparison.

Higher demand among consumers during Christmas sales saw the decline in footfall come down to 31.5% during the second and third weeks of December. However, the decline deepened to over 50% in the last couple of weeks of the month after the government implemented tighter lockdown measures after the discovery of new strains of coronavirus.

Marketing and insights director at Springboard, Diane Wehrle, remarks, “Somewhat inevitably, it was retail parks – with the majority hosting food stores – that fared the best in December, a narrative that has been frequently repeated since March. A new year brings yet another lockdown which will be a further blow to non-essential retail but with a renewed optimism that bricks and mortar will bounce back in the summer as consumers will be eager to get out again and spend.”