West End laments government Covid messaging as footfall falls flat
The West End has bemoaned government messaging on Covid as it reported no uptick in footfall last week.
New West End Company, which represents 600 brands in the area, said yesterday footfall was still down 30 per cent on pre-pandemic levels.
Flat footfall was blamed on “the impact of Government messaging around Omicron,” and tube strikes.
However, the group said it was encouraged to see Saturday footfall up 23 per cent week-on-week. This suggested “visitor numbers will start to increase this week as we build up to Christmas and people look to enjoy the West End’s unrivalled festive offer.”
Last week, mask rules were re-introduced for shops and public transport, in response to Covid variant Omicron.
The area has suffered from a lack of overseas tourists as international travel has been slow to return to the capital.
The warning came as firms hoped to see a return to the high street last month, with Black Friday deals and the start of Christmas gift shopping.
Data today has revealed that total retail sales lifted four per cent last month, compared to the same month in 2019.
Although online sales were “significantly down” on lockdown sales last year, they were up almost one-fifth on pre-pandemic levels, according to the British Retail Consortium and KPMG.
Consumer card spending lifted 16 per cent last month on pre-pandemic levels, according to Barclaycard data. However, this growth was driven by Brits’ night-ins, with growth in takeaways and subscriptions.
Brick-and-mortar stores did see a moderate increase in spend, up 6.7 per cent, compared to 6.4 per cent growth in October.