UK retail footfall declines for fourth straight month, BRC data shows
By Benjamin Chiou
Date: Friday 05 Sep 2025
(Sharecast News) - Retail footfall across the UK fell again in August, according to the British Retail Consortium, which called on the government to lend more support to help struggling retailers.
Total UK footfall fell at a year-on-year rate of 0.4% last month, the BRC said on Friday, unchanged from the 0.4% decline seen in July, marking the fourth straight annual decrease.
High street footfall was 1.1% higher than last year, bouncing back after a 1.7% year-on-year decline in July, helped by warm weather during August.
"Sunny weather encouraged shoppers back to town and city centres, with most cities reporting positive growth. Sheffield joined Birmingham and Manchester as the country's top performers," said BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson.
However, retail park footfall was down 1.1%, following a 1.7% jump in July, while shopping centre traffic was unchanged compared with last year, after slipping 0.3% previously.
According to Dickinson, last year's Autumn Budget, which imposed £7bn in new costs on retailers (through higher payrolls costs and a new packaging tax), has "limited retailers' ability to invest in local communities".
She said: "Government's planned reductions of business rates for retail and hospitality premises is the golden opportunity to change this, and the Chancellor must use the Budget to ensure that no shop pays more as a result of reforms. This would enable retailers to invest more in our local communities, support local jobs, and relieve pressure on prices."
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