UK retail footfall drops in July but sector sees 'freedom day' boost

(Alliance News) - The decline in UK retail footfall compared to Covid-free times failed to ...

Alliance News 6 August, 2021 | 4:08AM
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(Alliance News) - The decline in UK retail footfall compared to Covid-free times failed to improve in July, numbers on Friday showed, despite the sector enjoying a busy final week of the month as virus curbs eased.

According to the British Retail Consortium-Sensormatic IQ tracker, retail footfall in the UK was 28% lower in July compared to two years earlier. This was largely unchanged from June's decline.

In high streets alone, footfall was 35% lower on a two-year basis, worsening from June's 33% drop. In retail parks, footfall was 15% lower compared to 2019, a steeper decline than June's 8.1%. In shopping centres, there were 38% fewer visits, compared with a 36% drop in footfall in June.

"After improvements in footfall in the early part of 2021, the situation has plateaued with little change in footfall levels for a third month in a row. The turbulent weather, with initial heatwaves giving over to torrential rain, appears to have dampened the mood for shopping in July, with a particularly pronounced fall in footfall at retail parks," BRC Chief Executive Helen Dickinson commented.

"However, the last week of July offered a glimmer of hope for retailers as the easing of restrictions lead to the best weekly performance of 2021. Retailers hope this trend will continue as the rise of vaccinations and falling coronavirus case numbers boosts consumer confidence."

In England, all legal Covid-19 restrictions ended on July 19, in what was dubbed 'freedom day'.

Andy Sumpter, retail consultant for insights firm Sensormatic Solutions, said: "While footfall performance was flat compared to June, the trajectory in the second half of July gave cause for more cautious optimism; weekend shopper counts improved by 7 percentage points week-on-week following freedom day. Retailers will now be hoping caution will give way to growing consumer confidence so that they can capitalise on summer trading."

By Eric Cunha; ericcunha@alliancenews.com

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