MRI Data Shows Strong Retail Footfall As Christmas Draws Closer

New retail footfall data from MRI Software reveals UK shoppers are firmly leaning into the festive season, with visits rising by up to +5.1% week-on-week as Christmas draws closer, and the high street emerging as the clear winner. 

Despite short-lived dips earlier in the week caused by poor weather, footfall rebounded strongly, with double-digit surges on key days driven by festive events, Christmas parties, and social activity. High streets saw the strongest uplift, climbing as much as +7.5% week-on-week and outperforming both shopping centres and retail parks, which continue to lag behind.

With ‘Super Saturday’ approaching and the final 10 days of Christmas trading underway, the data suggests footfall is poised to climb further, particularly over the coming weekend, as shoppers turn their attention to last-minute gifts, festive food, and in-person experiences.

Week 50 – SUN-SAT (7th – 13th December)

Retail footfall remained strong last week compared to the week prior with a rise of +3.1% recorded across all UK retail destinations as shoppers leaned into the festive build-up; this was mainly driven by a +5% rise in high streets and a +2.2% uplift in shopping centres, whereas retail park visits saw no overall change. 

While declines were recorded across the board on Sunday (-9.7%) and Tuesday (-6.2%), this did little to hamper overall trends. Tuesday’s drop was likely exacerbated by adverse weather conditions across parts of the UK, temporarily discouraging trips. However, footfall rebounded strongly as conditions improved, with visits jumping by +10.7% on Monday and +11.5% on Thursday, driven largely by activity on the high street. This could suggest the festive events and attractions drawing visitors in as well as festive parties whether they be work or social led. This is also reflected in Central London footfall remaining +4.2% higher week on week and +7.1% year on year however historic and market towns recorded annual declines of -3.3% and -3%, respectively. 

Shopping centres witnessed similar trends to that of the high street with visits peaking on Thursday by +10%. Retail parks saw sharp declines on Sunday (-8.6%) and Tuesday (-5.7%) but experienced relatively steady growth for the remainder of the week however this was at a much lower level than high streets and shopping centres resulting in zero change from the week prior. 

Compared to the same week last year, footfall remained -0.5% lower largely influenced by a drop in shopping centre (-3.1%) and retail park (-1.6%) visits. High streets bucked the trend and saw visits rise by +1.3%. 

These trends are encouraging for retail leaders as the countdown to Christmas enters its final stretch. With the last 10 days of trading underway and ‘Super Saturday’ fast approach, footfall is likely to build further. As schools and many offices break up for the holiday this week, it’s expected that the strongest uplift will be over the weekend with shoppers turning their focus to last-minute gift buying and festive grocery shopping. 

Week 50 – MON-SUN (8th – 14th December)

Retail footfall remained strong last week compared to the week prior with a rise of +5.1% recorded across all UK retail destinations as shoppers leaned into the festive build-up; this was mainly driven by a +7.5% rise in high streets followed by a +3.8% uplift in shopping centres and +1.3% in retail parks. 

While declines were recorded across the board on Tuesday (-6.2%), this did little to hamper overall trends. This drop was likely exacerbated by adverse weather conditions across parts of the UK, temporarily discouraging trips. However, footfall rebounded strongly as conditions improved, with visits jumping by +10.7% on Monday and +11.5% on Thursday, driven largely by activity on the high street. This could suggest the festive events and attractions drawing visitors in as well as festive parties whether they be work or social led. This is also reflected in Central London footfall remaining +5.7% higher week on week and +5.1% year on year however historic and market towns recorded annual declines of -3.7% and -4.1%, respectively. 

Shopping centres witnessed similar trends to that of the high street with visits peaking on Thursday by +10%. Retail parks saw a sharp decline on Tuesday (-5.7%) but experienced relatively steady growth for the remainder of the week however this was at a much lower level than high streets and shopping centres resulting in zero change from the week prior. 

Compared to the same week last year, footfall remained -0.9% lower largely influenced by a drop in shopping centre (-2.9%) and retail park (-1.2%) visits. High streets bucked the trend and saw visits rise marginally by +0.3%. 

These trends are encouraging for retail leaders as the countdown to Christmas enters its final stretch. With the last 10 days of trading underway and ‘Super Saturday’ fast approach, footfall is likely to build further. As schools and many offices break up for the holiday this week, it’s expected that the strongest uplift will be over the weekend with shoppers turning their focus to last-minute gift buying and festive grocery shopping.

Source : MRI Software

Image : IR Stone / iStock / 613320612

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