UK retail footfall fell by 2% year on year in October which has marked the steepest decline since the EU referendum in June last year.
The figures from the British Retail Consortium and Springboard in their monthly footfall monitor show that retail parks continued to appeal to shoppers in the East and South East, which were the only regions to show positive growth for the retail destination.
Shopping centres saw a drop from 1% in September to 3% in October, with Greater London the only region to experience positive growth for the sector.
Springboard marketing and insights director, Diane Wehrle said: “Both high streets and shopping centres are clearly under pressure, with footfall during retail trading hours dropping by more than 3% in each. And the fact that retail park footfall slipped into negative territory – even during daytime hours - whilst prior to November recording seven consecutive months of growth, is definitive evidence of consumers tightening their purse strings.”
Overall, the most severe decline in footfall in October occurred in Northern Ireland, down 6.5%, Scotland, down 3.3%, and the South West, down 3.1%.
BRC chief executive, Helen Dickinson said: “All shopping destinations saw shopper footfall ease back in October, which mirrors the month’s paltry sales performance. Even retail parks, which have continually bucked the trend until now, struggled to attract as many visitors as the previous year.”
