The Covid Omicron variant has started to alter UK shopper habits, according to retail surveyor Springboard.
In its weekly outlook of Britain’s retail sector, Springboard on Monday said that in the week to December 4, its Central London “Back to the Office Benchmark” fell 2% despite a 0.5% rise in central London shoppers.
There was also a 3.8% drop in footfall in regional cities, it added. Footfall in UK retail destinations as a whole rose by 0.7% in the week versus the previous week.
“Last week…provided the first evidence of an early impact on footfall of the Omicron variant,” said Diane Wehrle, Springboard’s insights director.
Springboard said the gap in shopper numbers from the 2019 level was 17.4% last week, but footfall was 43% higher than in 2020.
“The picture is not as positive in large city centres outside of the capital where footfall dropped by nearly double the rate of decline in the Back to the Office Benchmark.”
“This points to the fact that whilst Central London is being supported by its retail and leisure offer in the run up to Christmas, large city centres outside of the capital are not benefiting, substantiated by a rise in footfall in smaller market towns across the UK as shoppers stayed local rather than venturing further afield.”
