Increased Footfall In UK High Street Stores

The latest report from British Retail Consortium (BRC) shows that high street footfall was 0.1% higher in June compared with the previous month. Although a modest increase, it was still better than the figure recorded the previous month, when footfall slipped 0.7%.

The top performers in terms of footfall were shops in Greater London, the West Midlands and Scotland, where growth rates were all above the country’s average.

Broken down by locations, BRC observed growth at high street and out-of-town shops, where retail traffic advanced by 1.4% and 0.6%, respectively. The BRC/Springboard Footfall Monitor showed that the shopping centre category continued to suffer, with an annual decline of 3%.

The modest uptick failed to bring footfall levels back into positive territory for the first half of the year and visitor numbers fell on average 1.5% in the six-month period. In the same period of 2012, footfall saw a 2.9% drop.

The spike in traffic to local shops could be attributed to the fact that many shoppers took advantage of seasonal promotions currently offered in stores, BRC’s director general Helen Dickinson commented. The warmer weather also encouraged shoppers to go out and update their summer wardrobes, which is evident from the improved performance in fashion and footwear retailers, she said.