London shopper numbers jumped 50 per cent last weekend despite UK coronavirus lockdown
Retail footfall in the capital leapt on Sunday as the warm weather tempted Londoners to defy the UK coronavirus lockdown.
Footfall soared 51.4 per cent on Sunday compared to the previous weekend, prompting concerns that sunny weather over the upcoming Easter weekend could encourage people to break lockdown rules.
Across the UK footfall was up 21.3 per cent. Other large cities saw a 32 per cent rise and there was a jump of 29.6 per cent across coastal towns.
The government has warned that the current restrictions may be tightened if people flout the rules. That includes the possibility that all outdoor exercise could be banned.
The warning came as parks across London locked their gates amid concerns that locals were using green spaces to socialise or sunbathe.
Easter weekend will suffer from UK coronavirus lockdown
The latest data from Springboard showed that footfall across UK retail destinations slumped 75.1 per cent in the week beginning 22 March. That came after the introduction of restrictions to curb the spread of coronavirus.
Meanwhile, last week, shopper numbers fell 81.4 per cent year on year.
The upcoming four-day Easter weekend is usually the most important trading period for retailers except for Christmas. However, this year all non-essential stores have been forced to close due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Last year the volume of footfall on Easter Saturday was 51 per cent higher than on the August Bank Holiday and 61 per cent higher than on Boxing Day.
Diane Wehrle, insights director at Springboard said: “It is impossible to draw any real comparison between Easter this year and Easter in preceding years. We have never been beset with such swathing restrictions that have impacted the entire economy and restricted spending so comprehensively.”