Hopes for a bounce back in footfall washed away in February

It’s been a tough start to the new decade for British retailers. Figures from retail insights company Springboard for the month of February highlighted the fragility of the UK’s high streets.

Severe weather, including flooding and non-stop rain contributed to a -7.8 percent drop in footfall. Retail parks and shopping centres were the biggest attraction when the weather was disagreeable, recording a modest -1.1 percent fall in comparison to last year.

The coronavirus did not have a noticeable impact on footfall in February, but the month ended before the warning of its increased severity was made. Moving forward it is likely that shopper activity will be stemmed as consumers become more wary about interacting in public spaces.

Q1 of 2020 will be challenging for bricks and mortar retailers, but experience has proven that footfall bounces back quickly once the immediate period of concern has passed.

“Whilst an average of 17 days of rain across the UK over the month led to shoppers staying away from high streets, shopping centres and retail parks still appealed to many by virtue of either their covered environment or ease of access and proximity of parking, which in retail parks is free of charge,” said Diane Wehrle, Springboard Marketing and Insights Director.

“A disparity of 6.7 percent between the monthly result for high streets and retail parks clearly demonstrates the exposure to extreme conditions that high streets have to contend with,” Wehrle said.

The impact of the coronavirus on British retailers will be evident in March figures

Springboard has warned about the footfall results for March as the Coronavirus impacts looms. An epidemic would put extreme strain on the British government as it struggles to negotiate a post-Brexit trade deal and prepare complex immigration arrangements, wrote the Financial Times last week. The early impact is that UK retailers are now facing delays to their spring fashion collections of at least four to six weeks, according to retail expert Kate Hardcastle.

Image: Oxford Street via New West End Company; Figures via Springboard