Footfall improves ahead of Black Friday

Footfall edged up 0.4% in the week before Black Friday across all retail destinations, new data from MRI Software suggests. 

High streets recorded the strongest performance where footfall rose 1%. Shopping centres also witnessed a modest rise in footfall of 0.6%, however retail parks saw footfall decline by 1.3% from the week before.

Challenging weather conditions in the first half of the week and consumers potentially holding back spending until Black Friday meant the overall performance was weaker compared with the same week last year, dropping by 1.2%. 

The first half of the week saw footfall decline by an average of 5.5% across all UK retail destinations, however this started to improve from Wednesday onwards with rises recorded each day. High streets, in particular, saw noticeable improvements in footfall performance from Wednesday to Saturday, from the week before, averaging a rise of 6.7%.

Following a turbulent few weeks, last week’s marginal rise in footfall was unable to alleviate the year on year situation with footfall remaining lower in high streets and shopping centres by 3.4% and 2.4% respectively, and rising only marginally by 0.4% in retail parks. 

The gap from the 2019 level also worsened in shopping centres to 18.1% from 16.6% in the week before last, and to 2.9% from 0.5% in the week before in retail parks. However, there was optimism for high streets as the gap from the 2019 level improved slightly to 13.6% from 13.9% in the week before last. 

Jenni Matthews, marketing and insights director at MRI Software, said: “It was a week of two halves as weather warnings were issued in the first half of the week which will have likely discouraged consumers from venturing out however footfall rose each day from Wednesday onwards with the week ending on a positive note for retail destinations as we head into Black Friday week.

“The marginal uplift in footfall last week failed to improve the year-on-year situation with declines recorded in high streets and shopping centres, and only a marginal rise in retail parks. This also meant that the gap from the 2019 level worsened in shopping centres and retail parks, however there was a slight improvement in high streets.”

Matthews concluded: “Across the UK, footfall rose in seven out of eleven geographical regions although Scotland witnessed a significant decline from the week before as heavy rain and strong winds were in full force at the start of the week. Coastal towns and Greater London also experienced declines in footfall from the week before.”