The riots at the start of the month failed to impact retail footfall as the warmer weather and start of summer sales prompted consumers to hit the shops.
Total UK shopper visitors dropped 0.4% last month, down from a decline of 3.3% in July, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) reported.
Retail parks were the hardest hit destinations, falling 2.6% in August, down from -0.8% the month before.
Shopping centre footfall decreased 1.8%, down from the -3.9% in July, while high street visitor numbers slipped 0.3%, compared to -2.7% last month.
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Scotland and Northern Ireland reported a small uptick in footfall, 0.7% and 1.4% respectively, while England and Wales fell 0.5% and 1.8%.
BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson said: “As violent disorder erupted across the country earlier in the month, footfall was severely impacted as many people stayed away from shopping destinations.
“Retail parks saw footfall levels rise in the week following the riots as some continued to avoid high streets and shopping centres.
“Footfall recovered across all destinations towards the end of the month when warmer weather and summer sales prompted shoppers to browse their favourite stores.”
“While year on year footfall changes improved on July, they remain in negative territory. Local communities need Government to implement its high streets plan to help drive footfall back into growth.
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