Consumers shun shops on August bank holiday in favour of dining out

Retail destinations in the UK saw a drop of 3.3% over the August bank holiday weekend compared with last year, as consumers favoured eating and drinking out.

That’s according to retail research firm Springboard, which found the drop – accounting for trading from Saturday through to Monday – was coupled with a “significant” increase in football after 5pm on all three days.

Footfall dropped by just 1.7% between 5pm and 8pm overall on Saturday, and rose by 7.9% on Sunday. On Monday, footfall fared even better rising 5% overall, while a 13.7% increase was recorded between 5pm and 8pm and a 22% increase between 8pm and 12am.

On high streets, footfall rose by 1.8% on Saturday, 8% on Sunday and 14.3% on Monday overall.

During night time hours (8pm to 12am) retail destinations hosted 10.4% more shoppers on Saturday, compared to the same time last year 12.7% more on Sunday.

Meanwhile, footfall at shopping centres was up 17.1% and 17.4% between 8pm and 12am on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

Diane Wehrle, insights director at Springboard said, “Part of this drop will be due to Saturday and Sunday’s rain in some parts of the country, but certainly not all of it as rainy summer days are a long term characteristic in the UK.

“The fact that footfall improved significantly post 5pm, when it was also raining, highlights the growing demand for leisure activities – hospitality, food and beverage trips.”