February footfall up, but growth slows
March 3, 2023
After Christmas and the January sales, growth in retail footfall saw a slowdown in February but it's still up 10% on 2022 and shopping behaviour is "normalising" say analysts.
The latest data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) shows total UK footfall increased by 10.4% in February copared to the same time last year, a growth rate that is 2.1% below that of January.
The high street, up 17.8%, performed more strongly than retail parks, down 3.3%, while shopping centres were up 11.7%.
Compared to pre-pandemic shopping in 2019, total retail footfall was 8.8% lower – high streets down 7.7%, retail parks decreased by 2.7%, and shopping centres by 23.3%.
Andy Sumpter, Retail Consultant EMEA for Sensormatic Solutions, commented: “Facing multidirectional headwinds – from the long shadow cast by covid to the ongoing consumer caution caused by the rising cost-of-living – we are, at least, starting to see footfall normalising.
“While the fluctuations in footfall are now less volatile, creating a new baseline against which to benchmark High Street performance, it doesn’t mean the footfall recovery has yet fully turned a corner. Retailers are still grappling with underlying uncertainty as they try to keep pace in the context of these multifaceted challenges," he said.
"Looking ahead, delivering value – whether that’s through ranging or by giving shoppers compelling reasons to visit stores – will remain central to turning the tide on footfall performance,” added Andy.
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