Retail footfall stays depressed despite reopening surge
Visits to shops in the UK more than halved in June despite the reopening of many non-essential shops from the Covid-19 lockdown, a survey showed.
Footfall fell 56.3% in June from a year earlier as a spike in activity the first week after reopening on 15 June petered out towards the end of the month, Springboard's survey showed.
The monthly decline was a big improvement on the 73.3% year-on-year drop in May when almost all shops were closed. In the week after reopening footfall jumped 40% from a week before but in the final two weeks of the period activity rose 6.6% and 2.4%.
Footfall fell by 55% in both England and Wales compared with a 73% decline in Scotland and Wales where non-essential stores reopened later. Visits to shops in central London were down 81% despite a spike in activity in the first week after reopening.
Activity varied greatly between locations in June from a year earlier. Footfall dropped by 65% on high streets and 62% in shopping centres but by 32% in retail parks. Springboard said this was partly because retail parks have grocers and homeware stores, which reopened earlier than other non-food retailers.
But the retail data company said the figures may indicate how bricks and mortar shopping will develop as retailers adjust to the new environment created by the crisis.
"The fact that retail parks are easily accessible by car, they are open air and comprise large spacious stores, makes them more appealing to consumers during the phases of easing lockdown restrictions," Diane Wehrle, Springboard's insights director, said.
"This is a sharp contrast with high streets and shopping centres which rely on a blend of shoppers, workers, students, tourists and residents to fuel spending. A large proportion of shopping centres are located within town centres."
With many people working from home, lots of students away and the government discouraging people from using public transport, sales will continue to be affected on high streets and in shopping centres, Wehrle said. This was highlighted in the much bigger decline in central London which relies on office workers, tourists and people using public transport for a high level of retail sales.
Sprinboard's survey covered the four weeks from 31 May to 4 July.