Riots deter shoppers as footfall falls 4.8%

UK high streets appear to be feeling the full force of ongoing disorder over the past week with footfall declining by an average of -4.8% week on week from Sunday (4 August) to Wednesday (7 August) compared with an average decline of -2.7% in all UK retail destinations. The latest figures from MRI Software found that this hit its peak on Wednesday with high street footfall declining by -7.5% over the 24 hour period and was likely exacerbated by shoppers being deterred amid rumours of a new wave of rioting and protests which were scheduled for the day Regional cities outside of London witnessed the greatest impact according to MRI Software’s OnLocation Footfall Index, particularly in North Yorkshire and the West Midlands. These areas, coinciding with several protests and riots, saw footfall declines by 12.9% and -10.6%, respectively, in these regions when compared with the week prior and remain significantly lower compared with last year. MRI added that at this time of year it would expect to see a boost in footfall across UK’s towns and cities as the school summer holidays get underway and families look to take day trips, however footfall remains “significantly lower” both week on week and year on year. The news comes as The Retail Trust said it has also seen a spike in calls from retail workers “fearing for their safety” amid rioting across towns in England and Northern Ireland, according to its chief executive Chris Brook-Carter. Brook-Carter stated that the charity has seen an increase in the number of calls to its 24-hour helpline. A number of retail stores have been targeted by far-right rioters in the past few days including a Shoe Zone, Greggs, Lush and Specsavers in Hull and a Sainsbury’s Local store in Manchester. Brook-Carter said: “The Retail Trust is seeing a rise in calls from retail staff fearing for their safety following looting and vandalism in shops across the country and we are working closely with affected retailers to ensure their colleagues are getting the support they need to deal with any difficult experiences. “We know there will be many more retail workers out there with worries and concerns so we’d encourage anyone to call the Retail Trust’s 24-hour helpline on 0808 801 0808 if they need in-the-moment wellbeing support or specialist help from our counselling team following incidents of in-store violence, criminal damage or theft."