UK retail footfall decreased by -2.0% YoY in February, according to the latest BRC-ShopperTrak surveys, as rain kept shoppers at bay.
YoY, footfall declined by -2.5% on high streets, -1.5% on retail parks and -7.0% to shopping centres.
Helen Dickinson OBE, chief executive of the BRC, says: “Multiple storms took their toll on footfall this February, particularly for shopping centres and high streets. The decline was less marked for retail parks, which provide easy parking and offered some salvation from the rain. There was a slight boost in footfall in the final week, where concerns around coronavirus may have contributed to an increase in store visits.
“With the right investment in our communities, local retail will thrive."
Andy Sumpter, retail consultant at ShopperTrak, adds: “While January saw shopper levels on the high street boosted by the ‘Boris Bounce’, February was a different story. Named the wettest February on record, we also had three named storms, which all arrived over weekend trading, and certainly dampened shopper traffic levels. Total footfall for the month was down -2% YoY nationally, and some communities in the areas particularly affected by storm flooding saw a greater YoY decline still – in Wales, for instance, footfall in Cardiff fell -6.4% YoY."
