Retailers have taken a hit in footfall as hosts of shoppers across the UK avoided high streets as rioting across the nation led to shops being vandalised and looted.
Data from MRI software showed footfall on UK high streets declined by an average 4.8% between Sunday and Wednesday from the same period the week before.
This compares with a smaller fall of 2.7% in all UK retail destinations, including shopping centres and out-of-town retail parks, The Guardian reported.
On Wednesday, the number of people on high streets dropped by 7.5% as shoppers were deterred by an expected new wave of rioting and counter-protests planned for the day.
Northern England and Yorkshire bore the brunt of the disorder, with footfall down 12.9% between Sunday and Wednesday, while in the West Midlands footfall was down by 10.6% on the previous week.
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At this time of the year, the number of people visiting the UK’s towns and cities normally rises with school summer holidays under way but footfall remains significantly lower both week on week and year on year.
This comes after a summer of sport for retailers, alongside leisure and hospitality, which have benefited from the Euro 2024 football tournament, Taylor Swift’s Eras tour and the Olympic Games in Paris, which ends this weekend.
The British Retail Consortium held a meeting on Wednesday with about 190 representatives from a range of retailers to discuss the safety of shop staff.
It comes as the trade association warned that store staff were “fearing for their safety” as retailers including Sainsbury’s, Shoe Zone and Lush grapple with the recent wave of theft and vandalism.
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