Retail footfall jumps as consumers get their fill of Eat Out to Help Out scheme
Footfall across the UK’s retail destinations rose six per cent last week as consumers rushed to take advantage of the last full week of the Eat Out to Help Out initiative.
According to retail analysts Springboard, footfall increased across all three types of shopping destination, giving the sector its best week since the end of lockdown.
Shopping centres saw footfall increase 9.1 per cent, while on the UK’s high streets there was a jump of 4.8 per cent. Finally, at the country’s retail parks, there was an increase in footfall of five per cent.
Year-on-year, footfall remains down 26.1 per cent, but this was again an improvement on the prior week’s figure of 30.7 per cent.
In addition, Springboard said that the Bank Holiday weekend had been a “remarkable success”, with retail destinations seeing just 11 per cent less footfall than last year.
The data firm’s insights director Diane Wehrle said: “The last full week of the ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme led to the most positive footfall result of any week so far with increases in all three destination types from the week before, and year on year declines that were the most modest since the start of the lockdown.
“Not only did the week as a whole yield far more positive results those previously but, given the situation we find ourselves in and the much cooler weather this year, the Bank Holiday weekend proved to be a remarkable success for retail destinations.”
As of a week ago, over 64m discounted meals were claimed under the Eat Out to Help Out scheme, according to figures from the Treasury.
The discount scheme, which ended yesterday, allowed dine-in customers to receive a 50 per cent discount on food and soft drinks, up to the value of £10, on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout August.
Such was the success of the scheme that some restaurants have decided to extend the discount into September.
In London, footfall picked up again by 6.8 per cent last week, the same increase as was recorded in the week prior to that.
However, compared to last year, footfall in the centre of London remains down 55.4 per cent, compared to 43.4 per cent in the rest of the UK’s cities.
With more workers expected to return to the office this month, the figure could well continue to increase as the weeks go on.