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Easter footfall dependent on the weather

By Danielle Wightman-Stone

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The British Retail Consortium’s Springboard insights monitor is predicting that Easter weekend footfall could increase by 2.4 percent compared to 2017, as long as freezing weather conditions do not return to the UK.

According to Springboard, the Easter weekend footfall could see a modest uplift of 2.4 percent on last year, stopping the declining trend from 2016 and 2017, however, if snow and ice make a return to the UK over the weekend as some weather forecasts suggest, the footfall could drop by as much as 15 percent from last year.

This is based on evidence from the previous two “Beasts from the East,” where footfall declined by 16.6 percent across all retail destinations for the first major snow storm week commencing February 25, and on work hit days such as March 1, footfall dropped by as much as 36 percent, averaging a decline of 28 percent over the three days, Thursday to Saturday.

Diane Wehrle, Springboard's insights director, said: “With normal weather Easter Weekend footfall is anticipated to increase due to a range of factors including the timing of national payday before Easter, the milder weather following recent periods of adverse weather, the ongoing demand for leisure-oriented trips, and the bounce back in footfall in February from December and January.

“The timing of national payday before Easter Weekend in 2018 means that households are likely to have some discretionary spending budget available that will not yet have been spent or allocated.”

The 0.5 percent drop in footfall in February was less than a third of that recorded in January, and better than the 12-month average of a decline 0.7 percent, however, retailer’s need a good Easter weekend if the weather allows.

Wehrle, added: “Recent adverse weather may have resulted in consumers deferring or cancelling shopping trips, while also delaying household spending on garden products and home improvements.

“If the weather remains mild this Easter Weekend, consumers may reinstate cancelled trips for the Easter weekend and are likely to visit garden centres and furniture outlets to refresh homes and gardens, and to fashion stores to browse spring ranges.”

British Retail Consortium
Footfall
Springboard