Retail Footfall Inches Higher

UK BRC-SHOPPERTRAK AUG FOOTFALL -34.8% Y/Y (JUL -42.1%)

High Streets were the worst performing location in Aug

• The BRC-Shoppertrak footfall monitor showed a slight improvement in Aug with total footfall falling by 34.8% y/y, up 7.3pp compared to Jul
• High streets saw the smallest gain Aug and were the worst performing location with footfall still down 41.7% on an annual basis.
• Footfall in retail parks decreased by 11.1% y/y as wider open spaces and a higher proportion of supermarkets prevented a steeper decline
• Shopping centre footfall dropped 37.4% in Aug, following Jul's downtick of 48.1%.
• Northern Ireland saw the smallest decline in shopping centre footfall, while London and Scotland suffered the largest drop.
• The report notes that footfall remains well below normal levels in Aug and states that with empty office blocks and many people avoiding public transport, footfall is not returning to towns and city centres which has a neg. effect on local economies in certain areas.
• Nevertheless, UK footfall is the second highest among its European peers with only France showing a higher figure.