UK retailers are hoping for a boost in sales this holiday season after a tough few weeks, with footfall dropping for the second consecutive month in November due to factors like the delayed Black Friday discounts, Storm Bert, and weak consumer confidence.
According to recent Sensormatic data by the British Retail Consortium (BRC), high street footfall dropped by 3.7% in November, down from -3.6% in October.
Retail park and shopping centre footfall also slipped 1.1% and 6.1% suggesting that consumers across the entire nation “were hesitant to hit the shops”.
Overall footfall across across all nations fell this November, with Northern Ireland down 2.8 %, Scotland by 6.8%, England by 4.2% and Wales 7.1%
London has the second biggest drop by 2.5% behind Bristol at 7.7% per cent.
The data covered the four weeks between 27 October and 23 November, leaving this year’s Black Friday one to potentially boost retailers’ optimism for the new year.
BRC CEO Helen Dickinson said: “Footfall took a disappointing tumble in November, as a later-than-usual Black Friday and low consumer confidence meant customers were hesitant to hit the shops. Some northern cities also suffered particularly badly due to Storm Bert, which caused travel disruption towards the end of the month.
“Retailers remain hopeful that the Black Friday and Christmas sales will help to turn around the declining footfall seen through most of 2024, crucial as we enter the ‘golden quarter’.”
Sensormatic retail consultant EMEA Andy Sumpter added: “This lacklustre footfall performance will have come as a blow for many retailers, who would have been counting on getting early Christmas trading results under their belts before the start of advent.
“However, it’s worth noting that these figures do not include Black Friday and the Saturday of the Black Friday weekend – tipped as one of the top busiest days for store shopping during peak trading – which will hopefully jump start seasonal shopping.
“Now, all eyes turn to December, where retailers hope to make up for lost ground and turn around their festive fortunes. This will rely not only on effective merchandising and shored-up inventory availability, but on building the compelling and immersive experiences that bring the seasonal magic to life in-store.”
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