Retailers can expect much improved footfall across the long Easter weekend, driven by warmer weather and when holiday falls in the calendar.
Shopper numbers are set to jump 2.1% year on year across high streets, shopping centres and retail parks over the four-day weekend, according to data from Springboard.
High streets are set to benefit most, with footfall predicted to climb 4.1% between Good Friday and Easter Monday, compared to the same period last year.
Retail parks are expected to enjoy a 1.7% increase, but shopping centres are likely to see a drop of 1.9% compared to last year.
Year-on-year footfall performance Easter weekend 2019
| Day | High streets | Retail parks | Shopping centres | Overall UK footfall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good Friday | 6.0% | 1.5% | -2.0% | 2.9% |
| Easter Saturday | 4.0% | 2.5% | -1.0% | 2.4% |
| Easter Sunday | 0.5% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Easter Monday | 5.0% | 1.0% | -3.0% | 2.0% |
| Total weekend | 4.1% | 1.7% | -1.9% | 2.1% |
Good Friday and Easter Monday are set to be the two busiest shopping days, Springboard said, with high street locations seeing the biggest upticks of 6% and 5% on these days respectively.
While the numbers make for positive reading for retailers over the crucial Easter period compared to last year, Springboard insights director Diane Wehrle warned the subdued consumer spending that has marked much of 2019 would likely continue.
She said: “Despite the forecast degree of uplift in footfall, this is constrained due to subdued consumer spending that currently prevails, therefore the forecast increase of 2.1% does not wholly make up for the drop of 3.3% last Easter.”
Easter trading in 2018 was particularly blighted by the ‘Beast from the East’ and the fact it fell in late March. Footfall across the four days of Easter in 2018 was down 7.5% year on year, with falls of 6% every day.
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