November footfall up 0.2 percent

Footfall held steady during November, increasing by 0.2 percent year-on-year, helped by Black Friday discounting, according to figures from the British Retail Consortium.

The year-on-year figure was an improvement on November 2016 where it declined by 1 percent, and this November also marked a slight increase on the 3-month rolling average of -1.0 percent and the 12-month rolling average of -0.4 percent.

The south-east, north of the UK and Yorkshire showed “strong growth” of 1.6 percent, followed by West Midlands up 1.1 percent, while the East Midlands and Wales improved 0.9 percent, and the east was up 0.8 percent to mark its 12th month of consecutive growth.

Greater London recorded a slight decline of 0.1 percent, making it the fifth month of consecutive decline. The only shopping location to show positive growth for this region was the high street.

The deepest decline in footfall in November occurred in Northern Ireland, down 2.4 percent, followed by Scotland, down 2 percent and the south-west, which fell 1.5 percent.

Out of the three shopping locations, shopping centres were the poorest performers, growing in the south-west and Wales only. High streets showed positive growth for all but three regions - greater London, Northern Ireland and the south-west. Retail Parks continued to show growth, however at a decelerated rate of 0.3 percent compared to 1.8 percent six months ago.

Helen Dickinson, chief executive of British Retail Consortium said: “November saw a slightly improved picture for shopper footfall as retailers enticed customers with early deals in the lead up to Black Friday. And while online continues to take the greatest share of Black Friday sales, stores continue to prove popular for visitors as showrooms and click and collect destinations.

“Though very welcome after four consecutive months of decline, the month’s growth in footfall is unlikely to signal a reversal of the longer-term trend. As price increases for food continue to eat into household finances, consumer spending power for discretionary non-food items will inevitably weaken. So a cautious consumer may sap some of the sparkle from this year’s Christmas trading, which means retailers are going to have to compete even harder for customer spend, which is always good news for consumers.”

Diane Wehrle, Springboard marketing and insights director added: “Indeed, with nothing fundamental shifting in terms of inflation or interest rates over the intervening period since October, it lends further weight to the frequently quoted argument that Black Friday simply shifted the Christmas trading calendar forward. In the light of this, we are anticipating that footfall will be further challenged into December.”