Rain rain go away: Wettest May on record dampens footfall hopes for high streets
The reopening of indoor dining and socialising did not serve up the hoped for rise in footfall in May, as shoppers were put off by rain and ‘rule of six’ limitations.
The wettest May on record saw footfall on high streets, in shopping centres and in retail parks fall versus the same period in 2019.
Overall, the number of shoppers and punters out and about last month was down 27.5 per cent when compared with May 2019, according to the latest data from Springboard.
The high street took the biggest hit, down 36.3 per cent on the same period two years ago.
Shopping centres fared only slightly better, down 30.3 per cent on May 2019, and while retail parks performed relatively well in comparison, with the number of shoppers falling down 5.7 per cent.
According to Springboard, high streets, shopping centres and retail parks also suffered last month because of capacity limitations in indoor venues, inevitably limiting the number of people socialising at any given time.
Despite the disappointing data, Springboard’s figures showed consumers are drifting back into larger destinations for work or leisure, with footfall in Central London increasing 17.2 per cent from April.
However, footfall in Central London remained 58 per cent lower than in 2019, and 33.7 per cent lower than regional cities outside of the capital.