High streets hit as rain keeps shoppers away
UK HIGH STREETS suffered the sharpest drop in footfall in more than two years after the wettest April on record convinced already cash-strapped shoppers to stay at home.
The number of visitors to stores and shopping centres between February and April was two per cent lower than a year ago, figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and retail analysts Springboard revealed today.
This is in stark contrast with the 1.8 per cent rise in the previous three months when shoppers took advantage of the January sales.
High streets were the hardest hit by the poor weather, with shopper numbers sinking by as much as 12.6 per cent in April –the worst drop in footfall since Nov 2009 – and 6.4 per cent in the three month period. Shopping centres saw positive footfall figures in April (up 0.4 per cent) and were down only 0.8 per cent overall.
Diane Wehrle of Springboard said out-of-town shopping areas – which consumers often visit for specific shops – enjoyed the strongest rise in footfall of 1.2 per cent.
Scotland, Greater London and the east of England fared the worst while Wales, Yorkshire and the east Midlands held up the best.
Vacancy rates stood unchanged at 11.1 per cent in April.
“The silver lining is that May and June footfall across the board should be boosted by public holidays, with many high streets and shopping centres planning footfall-driving events specifically for the Jubilee,” Wehrle said.