Retail footfall jumps ahead of lockdown easing as Brits prepare to socialise
Retail footfall jumped last week as shoppers prepared to meet friends and family outdoors ahead of the lifting of some lockdown restrictions today.
The number of visitors to UK retail destinations was up 6.6 per cent last week compared to the week before, as Brits looked forward to the relaxation of Covid rules, which allows groups of six or two households to socialise outside from today.
Footfall was 68.1 per cent higher than the same week in 2020, which was the first full week of the initial UK-wide lockdown.
However, visitor levels remained 57.3 per cent down on 2019 figures, demonstrating the ongoing impact of non-essential retail closures.
Footfall was up 6.6 per cent on UK high streets and retail parks recorded a nine per cent increase, driven by shoppers making improvements to their gardens ahead of lockdown lifting, according to Springboard research.
Analysts predicted that the relaxation of restrictions and the forecast of warm weather for much of the UK will prompt a 15 per cent jump in footfall this week.
The gap between footfall levels for this year and 2019 will “only start to be bridged in a meaningful way” when retail and outdoor hospitality reopen on 12 April.
That will spark an increase in shopper numbers of around 48 per cent in the first week, followed by a 10 per cent surge in the second week, Springboard said.
Diane Wehrle, insights director at Springboard, said: “Despite the significant gap in activity levels from 2019, footfall once again rose last week from the week before as it has done so in eight of the past nine weeks.
“However, the uplift was much larger last week, and this was primarily a result of far greater footfall in retail parks and shopping centres; the rise in retail parks most likely due to shoppers upgrading their gardens in advance of the relaxation of restrictions this week”