MRI: England's World Cup Run and Summer Holidays Boost Footfall

Visits to UK retail destinations increased last week, driven by a rebound in high streets as the start of the summer holidays and England's World Cup run encouraged more consumers into town centres, according to new data from MRI Software. 

Overall footfall rose by +1.4% week-on-week, with high streets leading growth (+2.5%), while shopping centres saw a more modest increase (+1.4%). England's final against Argentina also gave footfall a lift, with high street visits rising by an average of +3.4% across Wednesday and Thursday. 

Regional cities outside London (+6.0%) and historic towns (+5.8%) recorded the strongest gains, highlighting the continued appeal of destinations that combine retail, leisure and dining.

Jenni Matthews, Retail Analyst at MRI Software, comments: 

Week 28 – SUN-SAT (12th-18th July)

Visits to UK retail destinations rose by +1.1% last week compared to the week before driven by a strong rebound in high streets (+2.3%). Shopping centres noted a much more modest increase of +1.1% whereas retail parks recorded a decline of -1.5% as consumers likely favoured town centres. 

The week itself remained relatively strong for high streets with increases in footfall recorded each day from Monday to Saturday compared to the week before. Activity peaked on Monday and Friday (+4.5%), with the latter likely benefiting from the start of the summer holidays for many families across the UK. Shopping centres followed a similar pattern, recording their strongest day on Friday (+6.2%), suggesting consumers were beginning to shift into holiday mode and spending more time in destinations offering a mix of retail, leisure and dining. 

England’s final game against Argentina delivered a boost week on week as high street visits rose on Wednesday and Thursday by an average of +3.4%; in the early hours of Thursday morning (midnight to 6am) following the match, UK high streets saw footfall surge +14.4% year on year driven largely by a +29.6% boost in regional cities outside of London, followed by historic towns (+27.6%) suggesting that fans chose to stay local to watch the semi-finals. Retail parks also noted a +9.8% increase in footfall reflecting the strong food and beverage offering across many. 

This also translated into an overall win for historic towns and regional cities outside of London as visits rose +5.5% and +5.9%, respectively, week on week. For regional cities outside of the capital, the year on year lift was even more significant at +8.6%. Together, these trends continue to reinforce the attraction of local destinations when leisure, convenience and experience are combined. 

While the World Cup may be over, the trends seen here should be noted as the experience factor drove spikes in footfall game after game. This can also be applied as summer activations get underway and preparations for the Golden Quarter begin. The tournament may be finished, but the consumer behaviour it highlighted - more intentional visits, longer dwell times and a growing appetite for social experiences - looks set to remain long after the final whistle. 

Week 28 – SUN-SAT (12th-18th July)

Visits to UK retail destinations rose by +1.4% last week compared to the week before driven by a strong rebound in high streets (+2.5%). Shopping centres noted a much more modest increase of +1.4% whereas retail parks recorded a decline of -1.1% as consumers likely favoured town centres. 

The week itself remained relatively strong for high streets with increases in footfall recorded each day from Monday to Saturday compared to the week before. Activity peaked on Monday and Friday (+4.5%), with the latter likely benefiting from the start of the summer holidays for many families across the UK. Shopping centres followed a similar pattern, recording their strongest day on Friday (+6.2%), suggesting consumers were beginning to shift into holiday mode and spending more time in destinations offering a mix of retail, leisure and dining. 

England’s final game against Argentina delivered a boost week on week as high street visits rose on Wednesday and Thursday by an average of +3.4%; in the early hours of Thursday morning (midnight to 6am) following the match, UK high streets saw footfall surge +14.4% year on year driven largely by a +29.6% boost in regional cities outside of London, followed by historic towns (+27.6%) suggesting that fans chose to stay local to watch the semi-finals. Retail parks also noted a +9.8% increase in footfall reflecting the strong food and beverage offering across many. 

This also translated into an overall win for historic towns and regional cities outside of London as visits rose +5.8% and +6%, respectively, week on week. For regional cities outside of the capital, the year on year lift was even more significant at +9.4%. Together, these trends continue to reinforce the attraction of local destinations when leisure, convenience and experience are combined.

While the World Cup may be over, the trends seen here should be noted as the experience factor drove spikes in footfall game after game. This can also be applied as summer activations get underway and preparations for the Golden Quarter begin. The tournament may be finished, but the consumer behaviour it highlighted - more intentional visits, longer dwell times and a growing appetite for social experiences - looks set to remain long after the final whistle. 

Source : MRI Software

Image : Freer / shutterstock / 2657999637

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