Shopping centre footfall down on Black Friday

The number of Black Friday shoppers heading to shopping centres and retail parks across the UK fell by 4 percent on last year, according to data released by the British Council of Shopping Centres (BCSC) and retail intelligence company FootFall.

Visitor numbers before 7am showed an increase on last year, with the exception of midnight to 2am, which showed a decrease of 40 percent. The rest of the day was lower than last year until after 6pm, with a peak at 9pm showing visitor numbers increasing by 43 percent compared to the same time on Black Friday 2014.

Year-on-year, BCSC and FootFall expect shopper traffic numbers to show a rise of 0.5 percent for Saturday and to have fallen by 2 percent and 0.5 percent respectively on Sunday and Cyber Monday.

Ed Cooke, director of policy and public affairs, BCSC, said: "Despite the widely-reported growth in online retail over the Black Friday period, the data suggests that a high number of shoppers still want to make purchases in person, or use stores to pick up goods they’ve ordered online, especially in the run-up to the busy festive season.

"Evidence suggests that the most successful retailers adopt an omnichannel approach, with complementary physical bricks-and-mortar shops and online stores combining to enhance customers’ experiences. Physical shops and shopping centres also play a critical role in sustaining local communities, ensure the vitality of town centres, offer employment opportunities and underpin the wider economy.”

Image: Intu Lakeside Shopping Centre