Retail footfall rises ahead of lockdown anniversary - Springboard

Footfall across UK retail destinations rose last week as the anniversary of lockdown looms, driven by high streets, according to the latest data from retail analysts Springboard.

Footfall was up 0.5% from the week before, with footfall at high streets 4% higher. However, footfall in retail parks and shopping centres declined by 4.4% and 2.3%, respectively. Springboard noted that this is a big difference from the same week last year, when - ahead of the start of lockdown on 23 March - the government advised people to work from home and not travel. In that week, footfall fell a record 21.7%.

Footfall remains down 40.8% from 2020 and 56.5% lower compared to 2019, Springboard said.

Footfall in every type of high street rose by at least 5% from the week before, reaching 7.8% growth in major city centres outside London. Springboard said the impact of easing restrictions in Wales and schools returning in Scotland was evident, with increases in high street footfall in both nations of 17% and 19.4% respectively, versus a much smaller 3% increase in England.

Diane Wehrle, Insights Director at Springboard, said: "Footfall across UK retail destinations continued to strengthen last week, with a modest rise from the week before.

"At the same time, the annual decline improved significantly but this is a distortion created by a huge drop in footfall in the same week last year as we approached the start of the first Lockdown on Monday 23rd March 2020."

According to the lockdown easing roadmap outlined by Prime Minister Boris Johnson last month, non-essential shops will be allowed to reopen on 12 April.