Retailers feel the cold as icy snap hits footfall
By Abigail Townsend
Date: Monday 12 Dec 2022
(Sharecast News) - Retail footfall nudged only marginally higher last week, industry data showed on Monday, after the cold weather deterred shoppers.
According to retail consultancy Springboard, footfall peaked on Tuesday with a rise of 6.4%, ahead of the cold snap starting. By Saturday, it had fallen 4.9% across all destinations.
As a result, footfall rose just 0.3% in the week beginning 4 December across all destinations.
The weather also impacted where people shopped, with footfall in shopping centres ahead 2.2% week-on-week but down 0.9% on exposed high streets. Footfall rose by 0.9% at retail parks, which are easily accessible by car.
Central London reported a 3.8% jump in footfall, however, as shoppers brought forward festive shopping, though it declined at the weekend, when temperatures plunged in the capital.
Diane Wehrle, insights director at Springboard, said: "Somewhat inevitably, high streets were particularly hard hit as shoppers are exposed to the elements, while shopping centres performed best of the three destination types, reflecting the advantage of their temperature-controlled internal environments.
"In normal circumstances, this would be the week when retail and hospitality trade ramps up, with many employees having their Christmas parties and shoppers hitting stores, culminating in the final Saturday prior to Christmas Eve.
"With train strikes planned for four days this week, there will be a clear impact on the trading success of stores, hospitality venues and destinations in what is the last normal working and trading week before Christmas."
Compared to 2021, footfall to all UK destinations was ahead 10.3% last week, but was down 9.6% when compared to the same week in 2019, before the pandemic.
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