Footfall Across UK Fell 1.1% in August

Footfall in August was 1.1% down year on year, down on the 0.6% fall in July and below the three-month average of a 0.8% decline, according to the latest report from the British Retail Consortium (BRC). Despite the decline, retail sales in August performed well. BRC director general Helen Dickinson commented: “Taking account of the impact of online shopping we see that customers are spending more per trip than in recent months. It seems that customers are hitting the High Streets with purpose – knowing what they want to buy ahead of time, supported by online research – and doing more shopping in a single trip”. The high street experienced the biggest fall, with visitor numbers down 2.8% in August, the biggest decline since February this year. At the same time, however, out of town footfall has increased for the eighth consecutive month, with an average rise in 2014 of 3.2% compared with a drop of 1.5% in high streets and 0.7% in shopping centres.