September retail footfall drops marginally

Footfall in September declined 0.9% compared to the same month last year, however it increased by 1.1% compared with last month. 

According to the BRC Springboard Footfall Monitor, footfall on the high street was down 0.6% on the previous year, while footfall in shopping centres down by 2.6%, its steepest year-on-year decline since October 2013.

Out-of-town shopping saw the only rise, at 0.5% higher than September 2013.

All regions and countries with the exception of South East (1.4%), Northern Ireland (0.2%) and Scotland (2%) reported declining footfall.

Helen Dickinson, British Retail Consortium director general, said: “September’s footfall figures are a bit of a mixed bag. Out-of-town footfall continues to grow compared to last year which shows that consumers are increasingly confident.

“As online sales increase overall we can see how shopping is changing and retailers are adapting. The industry is working hard on providing great online shopping experiences for consumers and this too impacts footfall. However, with Christmas fast approaching footfall is only set to increase on the high street, out-of-town and in shopping centres.”