Retail footfall ‘limped to the finish line in December’ for the second consecutive year

Retailers have experienced another disappointing December as “fewer shoppers” hit the high streets and “veered towards” retail parks.

The Golden Quarter is normally when there is a peak in shopping activity ahead of Christmas, but for the second consecutive years footfall fell 2.5% over the month on 2023.

The British Retail Consortium (BRC)-Sensormatic Footfall Monitor said that overall shopping footfall for the year was down by 2.2% compared to 2023.

Scotland recorded a decline of 1.5%, England 2.1%, Wales 2.6% and Northern Ireland reported the largest decline of 5.8%.

BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson said, “A drab December which saw fewer shoppers in all locations capped a disappointing year for UK retail footfall.

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“Shopping habits have been changing fast and customers are increasingly looking for more experiential shopping, as well as a variety of cafes, services and things to do.

“Unfortunately, investment in town centres and high streets is held back by our outdated business rates system, which penalises town and city centres.

“The Government’s proposals to reform business rates may ease the burden for some retailers, but it is vital that, ultimately, no shop ends up paying more in rates than before.”

Andy Sumpter, from Sensormatic, said, “As footfall limped towards the festive finish line, December’s lacklustre performance compounds a disappointing end to 2024, marking the second consecutive year of declining store traffic.

“Retailers will now need to look afresh to 2025 and chart a course to adopt innovative strategies to reverse this trend or maximise the sales potential of fewer visitors, finding new ways to make each store visit count.”