UK high streets had a quiet month in June as the poor weather and continuing Brexit uncertainty helped drive footfall down to a seven-year low.
Data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Springboard showed overall footfall declined by 2.9% in June, with High Streets down 4.5% and Shopping Centres seeing a decline of 2.4%. Meanwhile, Retail Park footfall increased by just 0.1%.
Helen Dickinson Chief-Executive of the BRC, commented: “Poor footfall this June led to a significant fall in the sales figures for the month…Last year’s World Cup and glorious sunshine set a high bar, which 2019’s slow consumer spending and Brexit uncertainty failed to live up to.”
She added: “High streets and shopping centres across the country need to invest in improving their consumer experience if they wish to see these footfall numbers reverse. Unfortunately, high business rates, as well as a raft of other public policy costs, mean there is little left over to spend on these improvements. If the Government wants to see more investment on the high street then they must reform the broken business rates system and give firms the means to make the necessary improvements.”
