Shopper numbers surge as stores reopen but retail footfall lags behind pre-pandemic levels
The number of shoppers visiting UK retail destinations surged last month as non-essential stores were able to reopen for the first time in months.
However, despite the spike caused by the lifting of lockdown restrictions, retail footfall in April remained 32.7 per cent lower than pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
It was an improvement from the previous month, when footfall levels were down 55.2 per cent on 2019, according to the latest data from Springboard.
Experts said the gap between the level of footfall in 2019 and 2021 will narrow further, but will not return to pre-pandemic levels until there is a return to office working and domestic and international tourism resumes in the UK.
Recovery is also dependent on unemployment levels when the government’s furlough scheme ends in September.
High streets have so far been the retail destination to recover the slowest. In April, footfall declined from 2019 by 41.5 per cent in high streets, 39 per cent in shopping centres and 7.4 per cent in retail parks.
However there was a stark difference in footfall levels week on week, as retailers were able to reopen from 12 April.
Across high streets the annual decline moved from 65 per cent in the first week to a drop of 32.3 per cent between weeks two and four.
Springboard insights director Diane Wehrle said: “With the imminent opening of indoor hospitality in the next two weeks, we are anticipating that the gap between the level of footfall in 2019 and 2021 will narrow further, although the extent to which this occurs will be
a function of the degree to which there is a return to office working, the growth in both domestic and overseas tourism in the UK and the impact on employment of the end of the furlough scheme in September.”