A persistent heatwave in July continued to impact shopper footfall significantly, especially on the high street, according to data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC)-Sensormatic. Total UK footfall decreased by 2.1% compared to the previous year, showing an improvement from June’s 3.4% decline.
In July, high street footfall saw a year-on-year drop of 3.8%, an improvement from June’s 6.2% decrease. Shopping center footfall also declined by 1.4% compared to the previous year, which was a better performance than June’s 2.5% drop.
England experienced the most significant decline in footfall among the UK nations, with a 3% decrease overall. London was particularly affected, with a 5.3% drop, highlighting the challenges faced by major urban centers during extreme heatwaves.
Helen Dickinson, the CEO of BRC, noted that the heatwave continued to impact retail footfall in July, with high streets bearing the brunt of the decline. She mentioned that London was severely affected as the hot temperatures made public transportation less appealing, leading some commuters and shoppers to stay home.
Dickinson highlighted that while the situation in July was better than the previous month, retailers are facing challenges from extreme weather due to climate change. She emphasized the need for investments in mitigations like air conditioning and sustainability initiatives to combat rising temperatures and reduce carbon emissions.
Andy Sumpter from Sensormatic pointed out that most months in the current year have shown worse footfall performance compared to the same period last year, attributing it to the hot and dry weather discouraging shopping trips, especially on high streets.
Despite a change in the UK’s prime minister, retailers are still waiting for a significant improvement in footfall. The focus for retailers now is on converting the fewer but more purposeful visits into substantial spending as the summer continues.
