Footfall over the month of July was down compared with June due to changeable weather conditions and an increase in the number of people being told to self-isolate.
Footfall experienced a boost in the second and third weeks of July as remaining restrictions were eased, according to the Springboard Index. Footfall rose by 16.5% on ‘freedom day’ on Monday July 19, compared with the same day a week earlier.
However, this brief lift could not impact the overall drop across the month as a whole, with footfall down 24.2% in July compared with the last comparable period in 2019. Footfall was also down a further 2% from June.
High streets and shopping centres were the worst affected by the decline, with footfall down 30.5% and 30.2% respectively from 2019 levels. Retail parks’ footfall fell by 4.2% in the same period.
The month was marred by extreme weather conditions as consumers faced the year’s highest temperatures, followed by consistent rain the week after, which impacted the number of shoppers heading out.
This was heightened by the ‘pingdemic’ as consumers were either told to self-isolate via the NHS Covid-19 app or opted to avoid crowded areas due to the risk of being contacted.
The UK vacancy rate also rose in July to 11.8%, marking its highest level since April 2013.
Springboard marketing and insights director Diane Wehrle said: “Whilst there was a clear uplift in activity of +16.5% on ‘freedom day’ from the same day in the week before, it was not sustained and dropped away to a very modest week-on-week increase that averaged around +1% on the following days of the month.”
“This was undoubtedly due to a combination of weather – incredibly hot temperatures in the week of ‘freedom day’ followed by rain the following week – together with the ‘pingdemic’, which curtailed shoppers’ visits to stores and destinations in case it resulted in them needing to self isolate, a key issue for many people with summer holiday bookings in August.”
No comments yet