Boxing Day footfall plummets as restrictions tighten

Footfall across all retail destinations was down 60% compared with last year, according to figures from Springboard.

Shopping centres were the worst hit, with footfall down 65.4% year on year, while high streets saw a 63.3% decline.

Retail parks fared slightly better, as has been the case throughout the pandemic, with a 45% drop compared with 2019.

The closure of non-essential stores and hospitality venues was a big factor in the decline in footfall for the retail event.

Stricter measures came into play across more areas of the UK on December 26 with 40% of England’s population now subject to tier-four restrictions.

Wales, Northern Ireland and most of mainland Scotland are also under lockdown regulations, meaning non-essential shops across the UK were closed for what would ordinarily be one of the biggest shopping days of the year.

Footfall was also down year on year where shops could reopen with more shoppers choosing to stay at home during the festive period.

Footfall in tier-four regions declined 75.9% compared with Boxing Day last year, while footfall in tiers two and three fell by 33.1% and 38.5% respectively.

Springboard insights director Diane Wehrle said: “Boxing Day has been attracting less retail footfall each year in five of the past seven years as shoppers turn online to grab the best bargains. 

“Interestingly, Boxing Day has been evolving into more of a leisure-based day with shoppers starting their trips later on in the day and combining shopping trips with eating out and catching up with family and friends.

“The closure of hospitality in tier three and above means shoppers have remained at home and footfall has declined significantly.

“We undoubtedly expected a drop in footfall due to the closure of non-essential retail in tier four; however, it is evident that the repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic are continuing to make retail destinations less attractive across tier two and tier three as well. 

“This year, after spending so much time online, consumers are now experts at online shopping, whereby they know they can enjoy the same discounts from the comfort and safety of their own home.”

Research from Barclaycard showed that Boxing Day shoppers are predicted to spend £162 each on average online, amounting to a collective £2.7bn in post-Christmas sales, compared with an average of £78 spent shopping in-store.

Just under a third of shoppers surveyed indicated they would be shopping during the festive Sales event, with 68% saying said they would be doing so online.

Barclaycard’s projections were down, however, compared to 2019 when shoppers spent an average of £186 each, to a total of £3.7bn.