Footfall figures continue to decline as heatwave impacts activity

New figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Sensormatic have shown continued annual downturn in footfall for May, despite improvements seen on a monthly basis.

Total UK footfall fell 2.6 percent year-on-year, but rose on the 10.7 percent drop recorded in April.

Shopping centres were the hardest hit, with footfall declining 2.4 percent YoY. This was followed by high streets, where activity fell 1.5 percent, and retail parks, with footfall declining 0.5 percent.

Geographically, Scotland was the only region to record an increase in footfall, with activity up 0.4 percent. Elsewhere, footfall declined; Northern Ireland reported a 1 percent decline, England a 3 percent decline, and Wales a significant 5 percent decline.

In a statement, chief executive of the BRC, Helen Dickinson, said that while warmer weather had at first encouraged shoppers, “record-breaking temperatures at the end of the month resulted in a sharp decline in footfall”.

Dickinson noted that consumers remain anxious about the long-term impact of the Iran conflict and inflation, while prices are also anticipated to rise over the year.

She added that the government’s first priority should be to “address non-commodity charges which are pushing up energy costs to an unsustainable level”. “The window for government to act is narrowing, and any delay will only harm retailers and their customers,” her statement continued.