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January footfall “best overall” performance in two years

By Danielle Wightman-Stone

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Retail

British retailers were given a boost in January with an overall uplift of 1.2 percent in retail footfall, following a 2.2 percent decline in December. The figures released by the British Retail Consortium and Springboard in the monthly footfall monitor show that this was the best performance since January 2014, excluding Easter distortions.

Colder temperatures and the January sales helped turn shoppers back to the high street last month, with all three retail destinations monitored in the monthly footfall index - the high street, retail parks and shopping centres all posting an increase in footfall for the first time since December 2011.

Retail parks continue to lead the way, with visitor numbers up by 5.2 percent year-on-year, up from December’s 2.1 percent rise, marking the biggest increase in two years.

British high streets reported their first rise in footfall since July 2013, excluding Easter distortions, with an increase of 0.2 percent, a great improvement over its 4 percent decline in December. While footfall growth in shopping centres was broadly flat in January, compared to the 1.6 percent drop in December, however, it still marked its best performance since January 2014.

Helen Dickinson, BRC chief executive, said: “The improvement in shopper footfall witnessed in January provided a timely and welcome fillip to retailers at the start of the year, with retail parks once again recording a stellar performance. Indeed, this was the best overall footfall performance for two years, and well ahead of the 3-month average.”

Footfall increases seen across all retail destination types in January

Diane Wehrle, marketing and insights director at Springboard, added: “The increase in footfall across all retail destination types, the first since December 2011, alongside the rise in spending in January, finally demonstrates what is well known - that bricks and mortar shopping environments are still important to consumers. The post 5pm period that has been most resilient, with improvements in daytime footfall following on from an increase in activity in the evening.”

The monthly figures also revealed that the national town centre vacancy was 8.7 percent in January, down from the 9.1 percent rate seen in October 2015. This is the lowest reported rate since the BRC and Springboard began reporting the data in July 2011.

Commenting on the shop vacancy rate, Dickinson added: "The further reduction in the shop vacancy rate is encouraging. However, the fact remains that one in every eleven retail premises in our town centres lies empty.

“The current business rates system, in which rates bills only ever seem to rise, is wholly inadequate to the task ahead and so it is imperative that the Chancellor capitalises on the conclusion of the review next month to introduce a system which flexes with economic conditions and leads to a substantially lower tax burden.”

Photo: Flickr

BRC
British Retail Consortium
Footfall
High street