Weekday footfall outpaces weekends as workers return to the office

From January 1 to 28, footfall increased 10.7 percent year-on-year, up from 9.9 percent in December 2022, driven by footfall on weekdays as workers return to the office.

The data by Springboard reveals that footfall was 15 percent higher in high streets in January than last year, while shopping centres recorded a 10.8 percent increase, and retail parks were 1.5 percent higher.

When compared with pre-pandemic levels, Springboard added that footfall in January has “widened” and was -12.3 percent below those levels in 2019. Shopper levels also dropped -15.8 percent in high streets, -16.2 percent in shopping centres and -4.5 percent in retail parks, compared to 2019.

There was some cause for optimism for retailers and retail destinations in the latest figures, as Springboard notes that footfall in high streets rose 17.2 percent year-on-year on weekdays, compared with 10.3 percent at the weekend. In shopping centres, levels were up 12.4 percent on weekdays but only 4.8 percent at the weekend.

Diane Wehrle, marketing and insights director at Springboard, said in a statement: "This evidence reflects the efforts made by many businesses to encourage their employees back into the office following the Christmas break, but it also demonstrates the adverse impact on retail and hospitality businesses when employees opt to work from home during rail strikes.

“We know that during the strikes in December footfall, particularly high street footfall, was severely impacted on the days of the strikes, but the full impact on economic performance was mitigated by the festive period providing an added incentive for consumers to divert their trips to shopping centres and retail parks.”

Wehrle added: “With the festive period fully behind us, and the cost-of-living crisis hitting households hard, when hurdles to spending such as the rail strike are placed in the way, it is likely that many consumers will abandon shopping trips and rein in their spending instead, hindering economic recovery.”