Summer shoppers hesitant to return to high streets as footfall down 34% on pre-pandemic levels
High street footfall in July was down by one third on the same month in 2019, before the pandemic, showing businesses still have a long way to go in rebuilding lost trade.
High street footfall declined by 34.6 per cent in July compared to 2019, 1.2 percentage points below last month’s rate, according to data from the British Retail Consortium.
London was the city to suffer from the biggest drop in footfall with a 38.8 per cent fall on 2019, behind Birmingham, Nottingham and Manchester, which also saw summer shoppers stay away after the pandemic.
The BRC-Sensormatic IQ data showed total UK footfall decreased by 28 per cent in July compared to 2019 and dropped a 0.4 percentage point from June.
Shopping centre footfall declined by 38.4 per cent but was above the three month average decline of 39.1 per cent while retail parks saw footfall drop by 15 percent, below the three month average decline of 14.1 per cent.
“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, Helen Dickinson OBE, British Retail Consortium chief executive, said.
“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.”
The last week of July offered a “glimmer of hope for retailers” with the easing of pandemic restrictions in England on 19 July leading to the best weekly performance of 2021, Dickinson added.
The BRC has called on the Government to review the business rates system and “alleviate the unsustainable cost burden” faced by retailers.
“This will allow retailers to continue invest in their physical and digital offerings and provide communities with vibrant spaces to visit, work and shop,” Dickinson said.