Footfall at UK retailers improves for first time in over a year

Footfall at UK retailers rose for the first time in over a year, largely thanks to an improvement in the weather, new figures suggest.

Total UK footfall increased by 0.9 per cent year-on-year in September, up from a 0.4 per cent fall in August, according to data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC).

This was the first time that footfall has shown an improvement since July 2023.

Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the BRC, said the combination of “mild temperatures” and weak footfall last year contributed to the increase.

“It was neither too hot nor too cold for customers, leaving retailers in the sweet spot for additional shopping trips,” she said.

“This compared positively to last year when the intense heatwave caused many people to stay home and delay purchases of autumnal clothes and products,” Dickinson added.

The figures showed that footfall on the high street flipped to growth of 0.9 per cent in September, from a 0.3 per cent decrease the previous month. Shopping centres, meanwhile, saw a 2.3 per cent increase, swung from a 1.8 per cent decrease last month.

Retail parks remained the strongest performer, recording a 7.3 per cent improvement compared to August’s 2.6 per cent increase.

Andy Sumpter, retail consultant for Sensormatic, said retail parks were the “standout shopping destination“.

“Their tenant mix of out-of-town supermarkets and discount retail offerings helped to drive shopper traffic,” he said.

Leeds recorded the strongest increase of all British cities, with a 6.9 per cent increase in September. Bristol saw a five per cent increase and Cardiff 3.9 per cent.

London’s performance was relatively weak, however, with the capital only managing to notch a 2.5 per cent increase. Glasgow propped up the table recording a one per cent fall.

The figures will raise hopes that the recent falls in consumer confidence won’t stop consumers from splashing the cash in the final three months of the year.