UK shop footfall plunges as stormy weather and soaring household bills keep shoppers away
High streets suffered the biggest blow as miserable weather and rising household costs kept shoppers at home, raising fresh concerns for retailers ahead of Black Friday.
Britain’s high streets have been dealt another hammer blow after shopper footfall plunged in October, with stormy weather and soaring household bills keeping consumers away.
The number of people visiting shops across the UK fell by 4.7 per cent compared with the same month last year, a sharp deterioration on September's 2.9 per cent decline.
And it was traditional high streets that suffered the biggest hit, with visits dropping by 5.2 per cent year-on-year, compared with a 3 per cent fall the previous month. Shopping centres were also struggling, recording a 4.1 per cent drop, while retail parks saw footfall fall by 3.6 per cent.
The figures, from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Sensormatic, suggest shoppers are tightening their belts as the cost of living continues to bite. Wales recorded the steepest decline of all four UK nations, with footfall down 6.3 per cent. Northern Ireland saw a 3.1 per cent fall, while Scotland dropped 4.3 per cent and England was down 4.6 per cent.
BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson said visitors had fallen sharply across every part of the country. She blamed weak consumer confidence, rising inflation and high energy costs, alongside miserable weather that encouraged shoppers to stay at home or head to retail parks with easier parking. She also called on the Government to make high streets safer, urging ministers to introduce promised measures tackling low-level theft and repeat offenders.
Meanwhile, retailers have little time to recover before the crucial Christmas shopping period. Andy Sumpter, head of consulting and analytics at Sensormatic, said Halloween had provided a brief seasonal boost, but there was little else to celebrate. He warned shoppers were continuing to prioritise essentials, leaving spending on non-essential goods under pressure despite the arrival of the so-called Golden Quarter.
Attention is now turning to Black Friday, which could prove a crucial lifeline for struggling retailers. Sumpter said the discount shopping event was increasingly looking like a vital opportunity to inject some much-needed momentum into a festive trading season that has so far failed to sparkle. For Britain's beleaguered high streets, the countdown to Christmas could hardly be more important.