Latest data from Springboard reveals that footfall across UK retail destinations last week was 57.7% lower than the same week in 2019, unsurprising given the current lockdown. It was 64.7% lower on high streets and 65.7% lower in shopping centres, although retail parks fared slightly better, down 34.3%.
However, footfall was more resilient than it was in the first complete week of lockdown in March, when it dropped by 75.1% across all UK retail destinations.
Between Thursday and Saturday footfall in retail destinations rose by an average of 13.2% from the same three days in the week before, when the lockdown started. This suggests that, rather than restricting their movement outside of their homes, by the second half of last week shoppers had started to return to retail destinations.
What is also interesting is that despite the closure of all non-essential stores and hospitality, which account for the vast majority of stores in high streets and shopping centres, there were significant rises in footfall from Thursday onwards across all three destination types (+10.1% in high streets, +14.1% in shopping centres and +18.7% in retail parks).
Following the end of the two week lockdown in Wales, footfall in its retail destinations rose by a staggering 135.9% last week from the week before, providing the first indication of what may occur in England when the lockdown ends on 2 December. The impact of the start of Christmas trading, and the intention of shoppers to buy early is clearly indicated by the fact that the increases were even greater in Wales’s shopping centres (+168.8%) and high streets (+154.8%) albeit still significant in retail parks (+60.4%).
Diane Wehrle, Springboard’s insight director, stated: “The first complete week of Lockdown 2 drove footfall down across UK retail destinations, although the decline wasn’t nearly as severe as it was in Lockdown 1 or indeed as comprehensive. This was partly due to schools remaining open, although the vast majority of school-related journeys take place outside of retail destinations and so would not directly impact footfall in high streets, shopping centres and retail parks.
“The fact that footfall is more resilient may well be a function of the proximity of Christmas, and the concern of shoppers to buy well in advance this year to avoid queues, facilitated by the wide range of non-food products offered in stores selling essential goods.
“In the second half of the week, from Thursday to Saturday, footfall was significantly higher than on the same three days in the previous week which were the first three days of the lockdown, indicating that as the week progressed shoppers began to make trips out of their homes. Indeed, this reinforces the concern about the likely rebound in activity following the end of the lockdown, highlighted by the unprecedented increase in footfall recorded in Wales following the end of the two-week lockdown.”
NAM Implications:
- Patently, having had practice in Lockdown 1, retailers were less likely to miss a beat, the second time around.
- On a deeper point:
- Stakeholders have to ask what business can cope with drops in footfall of 65% plus…
- …however short the duration.
- Rebounds following lockdown should not be a surprise.
- Christmas shopping post-lockdown could be chaotic, but sustained.
- Hopefully…
