Retail footfall sinks as shoppers log on for Black Friday deals

The year-on-year fall in visitors to the high street was greater than the 0.2% drop in October and the three-month average of 0.8%, according to the latest British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Springboard figures.

High streets suffered the worst, with traffic falling 3.4% in November while shopping centres recorded a decline of 2.8%. Retail parks defied the trend, with footfall up 2%. However, this was lower than October’s high of 2.9%.

The drop in shoppers heading out to buy follows research that showed high street sales slumped 4.3% in November. Sales in bricks-and-mortar stores experienced their sharpest decline since 2008, according to the BDO High Street Sales Tracker.

Helen Dickinson, BRC chief executive, said the decline in footfall was a result of shoppers buying their Black Friday deals online.

“Shopper footfall wilted once again last month, as consumers shunned high streets and instead sought to take advantage of online Black Friday promotions and discounts which often ranged across several days. As a result November was the eighth consecutive month in which shopper footfall declined, and at a faster rate than the three-month average.