Retail footfall rises amid warmer weather

by | Apr 6, 2021

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Footfall across UK retail destinations rose last week but the Easter weekend was hit by bad weather, according to the latest data from retail analysts Springboard.
Footfall rose 8.5% from the week before, driven mainly by warmer weather at the start of the week. High streets and retail parks saw increases of 9% and 9.7%, respectively, but shopping centres saw a more modest 6.3% jump as shoppers opted for external environments to make the most of the sunshine.

Footfall last week was up 68.1% compared to the same week a year ago, but still down 57.3% compared to 2019.

Over the long Easter weekend, footfall fell 7.6% compared to the same four days in the previous week. Springboard said the cold weather on Monday dented the overall result for the Easter weekend, with a 20.2% decline in footfall across all retail destinations.

 
 

Diane Wehrle, insights director at Springboard, said: “With exceptional weather across most of the UK it was not a surprise that last week footfall rose across all retail destinations from the week before, and with the warmest weather occurring in the south it was unsurprising that this part of the UK that benefited the most.

“Footfall rose across all three destination types, but external environments inevitably benefitted more than shopping centres where the rise in footfall was a third lower than in high streets and retail parks.”

Non-essential shops are set to reopen on Monday 12 April, having been closed since 6 January.

 
 

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