Whole footfall was down 2.2% in 2024

Whole UK footfall in 2024 was down 2.2% in contrast with 2023 in line with knowledge from the British Retail Consortium (BRC).

Footfall decreased year-on-year for all 4 nations, with Scotland falling by 1.5%, England by 2.1%, Wales by 2.6%, whereas Northern Eire skilled the largest decline at 5.8%.

Alongside this, whole UK footfall decreased by 2.2% in December (YoY), up from -4.5% in November.

Excessive road footfall decreased by 2.7% in December, up from -3.7% in November.

Moreover, purchasing centre footfall decreased by 3.3% in December, up from -6.1% in November.

Nevertheless, retail park footfall stood unchanged at 0.0% in December, up from -1.1% in November.

Helen Dickinson, BRC CEO, stated: “A colorless December which noticed fewer customers in all places, capped a disappointing 12 months for UK retail footfall. This implies 2024 is the second 12 months in a row the place footfall has been in decline.

“Excessive streets and purchasing centres have been hit significantly arduous all year long as folks veered in the direction of retail parks to reap the benefits of free parking and the number of bigger shops. Even the Golden Quarter, sometimes the height of purchasing exercise, offered little aid, with footfall down over the interval. Whereas the Black Friday weekend delivered extra promising outcomes, they have been overshadowed by a lacklustre festive season.”

Andy Sumpter, retail marketing consultant EMEA for Sensormatic, added: “Whereas December noticed some flurries of festive footfall round a number of key buying and selling days, total, the image was stuffed with a lot much less sparkle as shopper visitors remained subdued in what ought to have been the spotlight of the Golden Quarter. Whereas retailer visits did construct forward of Christmas, it was by no means fairly sufficient to reverse the consumer depend deficit in opposition to final 12 months.

“As footfall limped in the direction of the festive end line, December’s lacklustre efficiency compounds a disappointing finish to 2024, marking the second consecutive 12 months of declining retailer visitors. Retailers will now must look afresh to 2025 and chart a course to undertake modern methods to reverse this pattern or maximise the gross sales potential of fewer guests, discovering new methods to make every retailer go to depend.”