Retail footfall slides in ‘wettest February on record’

Retail footfall slumped 2% overall in February, below the three- and 12-month average declines of 0.8% and 0.3% respectively, according to the BRC-ShopperTrak Monitor.

Shopper numbers declined across all retail location categories, but the steepest decline was registered across shopping centres, where footfall dropped 7% year on year in comparison with three- and 12-month average falls of 5.4% and 4.3% respectively.

High street footfall slid 2.5% year on year in comparison with average three- and 12-month increases of 1.1% and 0.2% respectively.

Retail parks posted the smallest decline during the period, down 1.5% in comparison with a three-month average uplift of 0.8% and a 12-month average decline of 1.1%.

British Retail Consortium chief executive Helen Dickinson said: “Multiple storms took their toll on footfall this February, particularly for shopping centres and high streets. The decline was less marked for retail parks, which provide easy parking and offered some salvation from the rain.

“There was a slight boost in footfall in the final week, where concerns around coronavirus may have contributed to an increase in store visits.”

ShopperTrak consultant Andy Sumpter added: “While January saw shopper levels on the high street boosted by the ‘Boris bounce’, February was a different story. Named the wettest February on record, we also had three named storms, which all arrived over weekend trading and certainly dampened shopper traffic levels.

“Total footfall for the month was down 2% year on year nationally, and some communities in the areas particularly affected by storm flooding saw a greater year-on-year decline still; in Wales, for instance, footfall in Cardiff fell 6.4% year on year.”