Visitor numbers continue to fall, but decline is slowing, BRC says

Footfall continues to be a challenge for UK retailers, with June seeing a 2.3% year-on-year decline, although this was still an improvement on the 3.6% fall in May.

This is according to data from the BRC-Sensormatic IQ Footfall Monitor, which was presented on Friday.

As is often the case, retail parks turned out to be the leader of the ranking, with a decline of only 0.4%, which is a much better result than the 2.3% decline in May.

Meanwhile, high streets fell by 3.1%, which was worse than the 2.7% drop in May. Shopping centres fell by 3.2% in June but were down 4.5% the previous month, so the latest figures are a welcome improvement.

In three of the four UK countries the gap in visitor numbers narrowed year-on-year, while one, Scotland, managed to increase tourism by 0.2%.

Elsewhere, Northern Ireland saw a 0.6% year-on-year fall, England saw a 2.6% drop and Wales saw a wider fall of 4.1%.

In terms of major cities, Belfast was particularly strong, growing by 3.7% in June, while football saw a rise of just 0.7% in May.

Edinburgh and Glasgow also saw growth, helping to recoup some of their losses from May, while Liverpool also performed strongly.

But other cities saw a drop in footfall, including Manchester, Leeds, London, Nottingham, Bristol, Birmingham and Cardiff. That said, most of these cities fared better last month than they did in May, with the exception of Birmingham, where football fell by 4% this time around compared to a 1.6% increase the previous month.

So what caused the overall better results in June compared to the beginning of the year, even though they were not what retailers would have expected?

The poor weather earlier in the month likely played a part, as did the ongoing cost of living crisis. And of course we can’t ignore the fact that fewer visitors don’t necessarily mean less spending. In a report we published just this week, location specialist CACI found that even with fewer visitors, spending levels are still quite high in retail locations, as many consumers are making fewer trips, but the trips they do make feel more like “big outings”.

Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, said: “With June failing to match last year’s heatwave, overall footfall fell last month compared to a year earlier. However, retail parks and shopping centres saw an increase compared to the previous month, with footfall in Edinburgh and Liverpool rising as Taylor Swift charmed the crowds. Retailers are hoping that warmer weather and maybe, just maybe, a successful European Championship for England will see footfall rise in July.”

Andy Sumpter, EMEA retail consultant at Sensormatic Solutions, added: “Footnotes improved in June compared to the previous month. The rain finally gave way to drier and sunnier weather and this, along with events such as the start of Euro 2024 and Taylor Swift’s Eras tour, helped to drive up footfall. However, while footfall is up on May, footfall in stores remains slightly down on 2023, suggesting that a recovery in footfall is yet to materialise. With hopes of a Euro return to the home country still alive, retailers will be hoping that football – and footfall – returns home in July, as other major sporting events including Wimbledon and the Paris Olympics also provide positive opportunities to drive customers into stores.”