December footfall rises but still down on 2013

Retail footfall in December showed the best performance since January 2014, but was still down on the same month in 2013, according to the latest BRC/Springboard Footfall Monitor. 

Total retail footfall in the UK was up 2.4% on the fall in November, but down 0.7% year-for-year and below the three-month average of a 1.3% decline.

Out-of-town retailers, which have experienced positive footfall growth for every month in 2014, reported the only rise, 1.3% higher than a year ago.

Footfall in shopping centres was down 0.1% on December 2013, this is the lowest fall in footfall since January 2014.

All regions and countries, with the exception of South East (3.4%), East (2.2%), Scotland (1.6%) and Northern Ireland (1.4%), reported declining footfall.

BRC director general, Helen Dickinson, said: “It’s worth noting that fewer shoppers doesn’t necessarily equal poorer sales – in fact, we know that sales have been strong across the Christmas period.

“This tells us that retailers are getting to grips with the way people’s shopping habits are changing and using methods like click-and-collect to drive internet traffic toward physical stores while, at the same time, targeting discounts to encourage higher sales.

“What we are seeing currently is the online and physical retailing finding out how they best fit together in the new multi-channel world.”