MRI: Footfall Bounced Back Last Week

UK retail footfall bounced back strongly in the week before Black Friday, with data from retail tech experts MRI Software data showing a +25.6% surge on Friday alone as shoppers returned after Storm Claudia. High streets led the charge with an impressive +32.3% jump, almost double the previous week’s decline, an encouraging sign as festive events kick in.

Retail parks and shopping centres also delivered solid week-on-week gains, helping lift footfall +4–6% across all destinations, despite mid-week snow and a rainy Saturday. Compared with last year, footfall remains up 3–4%, signalling resilient consumer demand as payday and peak trading approach.

MRI’s latest Consumer Pulse survey reinforces the momentum. The survey found that 75% of shoppers plan to hit Black Friday sales in-store, while 43% will shop online, highlighting a growing omnichannel mindset. High streets look set to be the biggest winners, with festive attractions continuing to draw shoppers into towns and cities. 

Week 47 – SUN-SAT (16th-22nd November)

The week before Black Friday saw footfall recover by +4.6% in all UK retail destinations from the week before, largely driven by a +5.8% rise in retail parks and shopping centres, followed by a +3.5% uplift in high street visits. 

Much of the uplift was driven by a +25.6% surge in footfall on Friday, likely the recovery from Storm Claudia in the week before last. High streets alone saw footfall rebound by +32.3% on Friday which is almost double the decline that was witnessed (-17.9%) and highly encouraging heading into Black Friday. This could signal the positive impact of festive events and attractions drawing visitors to towns and cities. 

The rest of the week remained steady with footfall rising daily in all UK retail destinations from the week before. The only exceptions were Wednesday (-1%), where much of the UK was hit with snow and high streets bore the brunt of the latest weather disruptions with visits falling by -5.7% week on week, and Saturday (-6%) where rainfall took centre stage likely deterring shoppers to the high street (-11.4%). Retail parks and shopping centres, however, remained resilient recording marginal declines in activity of -0.3% and -0.5%, respectively. 

All town types recorded a strong rebound from the week before and year on year. Office dense locations within Central London continued to see strong growth with footfall rising by +13.6% year on year followed by regional cities outside the capital (+7.8%). 

Compared to 2024, footfall remained +3.8% higher in all UK retail destinations driven by a +4.7% rise in high street visits, followed by retail parks (+2.8%) and shopping centres (+2.9%). The annual drop in activity on Wednesday (-4.7%) in all UK retail destinations did little to dampen overall trends which is particularly encouraging as we head into Black Friday week. For several years, Black Friday has served as the catalyst for festive shopping and with payday at the end of the week, potentially the final for one before Christmas for many, this could spark a flurry of consumer activity in the days leading up to and surrounding Black Friday. 

MRI Software’s recent Consumer Pulse survey, in partnership with Retail Economics, revealed that at least 75% of consumers surveyed will be shopping the Black Friday sales across all physical retail destinations in the UK with 43% heading online, suggesting that shopper behaviour is shifting towards an omnichannel approach to get the best savings.

As festive events and attractions get underway, it’s anticipated that high streets may emerge as the clear winners with 24% of consumers surveyed stating they will visit the high street while 13% will opt for retail parks and 12% will choose major flagship shopping centres. Black Friday last year saw footfall levels rise by +3.4% year on year in all UK retail destinations which much of the surge occurring post 5pm; a trend that has seen continued growth throughout 2025 with the appeal of leisure and hospitality choices positively impacting footfall, and a trend that should be noted by retail leaders when reviewing opening hours and staffing schedules heading into the peak trading period. 

Week 47 – MON-SUN (17th-23rd November)

The week before Black Friday saw footfall recover by +3.7% in all UK retail destinations from the week before, largely driven by a +6.3% rise in retail parks and a +4.8% increase in shopping centre activity, followed by a +1.9% uplift in high street visits. 

Much of the uplift was driven by a +25.6% surge in footfall on Friday, likely the recovery from Storm Claudia in the week before last. High streets alone saw footfall rebound by +32.3% on Friday which is almost double the decline that was witnessed (-17.9%) and highly encouraging heading into Black Friday. This could signal the positive impact of festive events and attractions drawing visitors to towns and cities. 

The rest of the week remained steady with footfall rising daily in all UK retail destinations from the week before. The only exceptions were Wednesday (-1%), where much of the UK was hit with snow and high streets bore the brunt of the latest weather disruptions with visits falling by -5.7% week on week, and Saturday (-6%) where rainfall took centre stage likely deterring shoppers to the high street (-11.4%). Retail parks and shopping centres, however, remained resilient recording marginal declines in activity of -0.3% and -0.5%, respectively. 

All town types recorded a strong rebound from the week before and year on year. Office dense locations within Central London continued to see strong growth with footfall rising by +13.6% year on year followed by regional cities outside the capital (+7.8%). 

Compared to 2024, footfall remained +4.2% higher in all UK retail destinations driven by a +5.1% rise in high street visits, followed by retail parks (+3.5%) and shopping centres (+3.1%). The annual drop in activity on Wednesday (-4.7%) in all UK retail destinations did little to dampen overall trends which is particularly encouraging as we head into Black Friday week. For several years, Black Friday has served as the catalyst for festive shopping and with payday at the end of the week, potentially the final for one before Christmas for many, this could spark a flurry of consumer activity in the days leading up to and surrounding Black Friday. 

MRI Software’s recent Consumer Pulse survey, in partnership with Retail Economics, revealed that at least 75% of consumers surveyed will be shopping the Black Friday sales across all physical retail destinations in the UK with 43% heading online, suggesting that shopper behaviour is shifting towards an omnichannel approach to get the best savings.

As festive events and attractions get underway, it’s anticipated that high streets may emerge as the clear winners with 24% of consumers surveyed stating they will visit the high street while 13% will opt for retail parks and 12% will choose major flagship shopping centres. Black Friday last year saw footfall levels rise by +3.4% year on year in all UK retail destinations which much of the surge occurring post 5pm; a trend that has seen continued growth throughout 2025 with the appeal of leisure and hospitality choices positively impacting footfall, and a trend that should be noted by retail leaders when reviewing opening hours and staffing schedules heading into the peak trading period.

Source : MRI Software

Image : William Barton / iStock / 838851246

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