UK retail in December saw an uplift in footfall across all destinations as shoppers flocked to stores over the festive season.
Footfall across all retail destinations jumped 7.1% in December from November, but there are warnings that retailers and consumers face a “challenging” 2025, according to MRI Software.
Shopping centres saw the largest footfall boost in December, rising 13.2% month on month, followed by a 5.7% rise in retail parks and 4.8% in high streets.
Annual footfall across all destinations inched up 0.4%, with retail parks seeing the largest increase in annual activity at 1.2%.
High street footfall rose 0.3% annually, while shopping centres recorded a small drop of 0.1%.
MRI Software recorded rolling data over the festive period and found that evening and nighttime footfall rose an average of 1.6% compared to 2023.
MRI Software marketing and insights director Jenni Matthews said the boost is likely due to the rise of leisure and hospitality establishments available in shopping centres and retail parks now.
She adds that the “experiential factor” of festive markets and events possibly contributed to a rise in footfall.
Christmas Eve footfall was 18.1% higher year on year, across all UK retail destinations as many shoppers participated in a pre-Christmas rush.
Boxing Day footfall declined 4.9% across all UK retail destinations compared to the same day last year, which could reflect a shift in consumer behaviour and the fact many retailers shut up shop.
On December 27 and 28, footfall rose an average of 8.8% year on year.
Matthews added: “Retailers are bracing themselves for a challenging start to 2025 following the Autumn Budget, which was revealed towards the end of October. This will bring with it financial challenges with rising costs anticipated and decisions will need to be made as to whether these costs are passed onto the consumers or absorbed by the business.
“This will no doubt impact retail stores and destinations in high streets, shopping centres and retail parks. Looking ahead to the next 6 months, MRI Software’s latest Consumer Pulse report revealed that 51% of shoppers are concerned about the rising cost of living driven primarily by higher energy and housing costs as winter approaches.
“Retail leaders should bear these trends in mind as the surge in festive footfall may well be the last big splurge for many consumers ahead of what could be a spending freeze heading into early 2025. Leveraging data-driven insights to drive operational efficiencies such as adapting resourcing and energy to traffic peaks and troughs will become even more business-critical.”
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