Footfall dips slightly in April

Footfall in April was 0.8% lower than the same time last year, according to new figures released today by the British Retail Consortium (BRC). 

This is according to the BRC and Springboard Footfall and Vacancies Monitor which found footfall in April was below the three-month growth average of -0.3%.

High streets and shopping centres reported a decline in footfall, falling 0.1% and 0.3% respectively, while out-of-town locations fared the best with a 0.5% increase year-on-year, but this was the lowest figure since September 2014.

Four regions reported footfall above the UK average, with the East (1.9%), Northern Ireland (1.2%), Scotland (1.1%) and Greater London (1.1%) all reporting growth in footfall.

The monitor also found that the national town centre vacancy rate was 10.2% in April 2015, down from the 10.4% reported in January this year.

Helen Dickinson, BRC’s director general, said: “This month’s figures follow a similar pattern to the long term trend, footfall on the high street and in shopping centres is down slightly and out-of-town destinations have seen an increase in shopper numbers, but only a slight one. This is despite prices continuing to tumble and consumer confidence climbing.

“The stubbornness of the footfall figures may be explained by the similar obstinance [sic] in the vacancy rate figure. Since the BRC started collecting these figures shop vacancy rates have never fallen below 10%. We’ve long argued that vacant units put shoppers off visiting an area and the long term trend in these numbers bears that out.”

She added that driving shop vacancies down in order to see shopper numbers rise is a priority for anyone looking to secure a sustainable future for the high streets and town centres, citing the reform of business rates as a “good first step”.