Newly released figures have shown that retail footfall has declined by 1.2% year on year in September to mark the third consecutive monthly drop of more than 1%.
The data from the British Retail Consortium and Springboard in their monthly footfall monitor shows that high street footfall dropped by 2.2%, which was a smaller decline than August’s 2.6%.
Meanwhile, footfall in shopping centres dropped by 1% following a 0.8% decline in August. Footfall in retail parks continued to grow for a seventh consecutive month but the uplift was reduced to 1.1% from 1.6% in August.
BRC chief executive, Helen Dickinson said: “For the third consecutive month, most shopping destinations suffered a decline with retail parks continuing to buck the trend; attracting more visitors than the previous year and the opposite being true for high streets.
"There’s an urgent need to stall the growing number of retail locations, particularly in more vulnerable parts of the country, falling further and further behind by attracting shoppers to retail destinations with the right mix of products, experience and convenience. But this is where the conundrum lies for retailers: the growing cost of doing business leaves little to no wiggle room for investment in their store proposition.”
