Footfall in UK retail destinations saw a shift to within 20% of pre pandemic levels according to footfall specialists Springboard. Numbers boosted by staycations, daycations and more time spent at home and in local areas.
A significant positive shift compared with July’s 24% downshift. Both retail parks and high streets have seen improvements.
“The popularity of staycations and daycations in August bolstered footfall, particularly in high streets,” according to Springboard.
“In large cities outside of the capital, the improvement in footfall in August was nearly double that in smaller high streets, putting them at a comparable level versus 2019 for the first time.”
Springboard further added that as long as further restrictions are not put in place, as we approach the end of the year Q4, footfall could be just 10% – 15% below pre pandemic levels.
Diane Wehrle, Insights Director at Springboard, commented: “Footfall in August suggests the month was a turning point for bricks and mortar retail. Not only was there was a strong recovery in overall footfall from July of around a quarter (going from -24.2% in July to -18.6% in August), but the gap from the 2019 footfall level was less than -20% for the first time since the start of the pandemic.
“What is even more encouraging is that the indications were positive for all three destination types. In both high streets and shopping centres the gap from 2019 dropped below -25% for the first time, and in retail parks footfall was only marginally below the level two years ago.
Stockport has seen also seen a steady rise in town centre footfall with the start of the frog trail on 23rd July. Bringing in large groups and families to tour the town and find the 21 frogs. With other events planned such as the Food and Drink Festival plus the Enduro Cycle Festival its hoped the footfall driven events will further enhance retail and general trading conditions in the Town and District Centres.