New figures suggest the retail sector experienced its worst footfall in six years last month with declines in every region, and across high streets, retail parks and shopping centres.
The data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Springboard shows overall footfall declined by 3.5% in May, compared to the same point last year when it fell by 0.4%.
High street footfall declined by 4.8%, whilst retail parks saw a decrease of 0.8%. Meanwhile, shopping centre footfall slipped 3.6%
Commenting on the dismal figures, Helen Dickinson, BRC Chief Executive, said: “This reflects our recent sales data, which showed the largest drop in retail sales on record. The colder weather, as well as ongoing political and economic uncertainty, made many consumers think twice before heading out to the shops this May.”
Diane Wehrle, Springboard Marketing and Insights Director, highlighted that comparisons are off the back of a particularly strong result in May last year, which was boosted by warm weather, the royal wedding, and the run-up to the World Cup.
She said: “All destination types found it much tougher this May to attract customers, but the fact that the greatest impact was felt by high streets is not a surprise given the much poorer weather than in May last year.”
Meanwhile, separate data also suggests high streets suffered a disastrous May. BDO’s High Street Sales Tracker (HSST) shows in-store sales plunged a record 3.3% year-on-year last month, from a negative base of -2.2% for same period last year.
With four months of negative results already recorded in the year-to-date, BDO stated the figures reflect how difficult the trading environment has become for retailers.
Sophie Michael, BDO head of retail, commented: “With a government mired in Brexit chaos and now further distracted by a leadership contest, our British high street is not getting the attention it desperately needs.
“Both retailers and shoppers alike need a clear roadmap that can deliver much needed confidence for the future. Retailers know they need to adapt their physical portfolios and respond quickly to changing consumer behaviours, but they are in investment paralysis as Brexit uncertainty drags on and consumer confidence remains low.
“It is vital that the ambivalence with which the high street is currently being treated is replaced with concerted action, or the results could be catastrophic.”
