Black Friday hits high street footfall

Footfall in November was 2.1% lower than a year ago, as Black Friday shoppers turned to online shopping instead of the high street.

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Springboard Footfall and Vacancies Monitor found the fall was significantly below the 0.2% decline in October and underperformed the three-month average of a decline of 0.8%.

High streets and shopping centres saw further declines in footfall, falling to 3.4% and 2.8% respectively. Meanwhile, footfall in retail park locations increased 2% year-on-year, however this was below October’s high of 2.9%.   

Only two regions, the East Midlands and Greater London, reported positive footfall growth during the month.

Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the BRC, said: “Shopper footfall wilted once again last month, as consumers shunned high streets and instead sought to take advantage of online ‘Black Friday’ promotions and discounts which often ranged across several days.

“As a result November was the eighth consecutive month in which shopper footfall declined, and at a faster rate than the three-month average.

“Those retailers with a strong multichannel offer – allowing customers to shop in-store, at home and on the move – will have been well placed to capitalise on this further milestone in the development of our digital economy.”