MRI: Retail Destinations Saw An Uplift In Footfall Last Week

Footfall data from retail tech experts MRI Software reveals that UK retail destinations saw a +0.8% week-on-week uplift in footfall in Week 34, driven by strong gains in shopping centres (+2.2%) and retail parks (+1.6%), while high streets dipped slightly (-0.2%).

Momentum built through the week, with Thursday and Friday seeing the highest spikes as shoppers stocked up ahead of the final bank holiday weekend before Christmas. Central London footfall dropped by -3.4% as summer holidays encouraged more home working, while regional cities performed well, posting a +7% year-on-year rise, with market towns also seeing modest gains.

With the summer holidays entering their final week, retailers are likely to see this positive trend continue, as consumers take advantage of seasonal promotions and outdoor dining opportunities. 

Week 34 – SUN-SAT

Footfall in UK shopping centres and retail parks saw a modest rise in visitor numbers last week compared with the week before however high streets saw a marginal dip in activity. 

Overall, the week revealed a relatively positive picture with steady rises in footfall recorded daily in retail parks and shopping centres peaking on Thursday and Friday as the final bank holiday weekend before Christmas neared and people headed out to their local stores to stock up on grocery and BBQ essentials. High streets, however had a mixed week with modest declines recorded on four out of the seven days but did follow a similar trend in the lead up to the weekend with footfall rising. 

Central London’s Back to Office benchmark revealed the steepest week on week decline last week which could reflect a high volume of people choosing to work from home during the peak of the summer holidays. Coastal towns also displayed similar trends as did historic towns. Market towns and regional cities outside of the capital fared much better with modest rises in visitor numbers week on week. Annual trends revealed much more upbeat trends which could indicate the impact of the warmer weather compared to the arrival of Storm Lilian during the same week last year. 

Retail footfall rose by +0.8% last week from the week before; this was largely driven by a +2.2% surge in shopping centre visits followed by a +1.6% rise in retail park activity. High streets, however, witnessed a marginal decline of -0.2%. 

Visits to retail destinations across the UK remained fairly steady last week with rises recorded daily in retail parks and shopping centres. These increased in magnitude from Wednesday onwards with peaks recording on Thursday and Friday averaging +2.3% in retail parks and +3.1% in shopping centres. High streets saw visitor numbers increase in the lead up to the bank holiday weekend also with footfall rising by an average of +0.4% on Friday and Saturday. 

The impact of people potentially working from home during the height of the summer holidays was noticeable last week with footfall declining by -3.4% week on week in office dense locations within Central London. Coastal towns also displayed a similar trend revealing a -2.3% drop in visits compared to the week before. However, annual trends remained strong especially in regional cities outside of London (+7%) and by +2.8% in seaside locations which could reflect the changes in weather and the particularly strong summer which the UK has experienced this year. 

Regionally, the East Midlands (+4.5%) and Wales (+4.5%) recorded the greatest increase in footfall week on week whereas Scotland (-5%) saw a sharp drop which may well be reflective of how events are moving around the country and impacting different pockets of the UK. 

Compared to 2024, footfall remained higher in high streets (+2.2%) however retail parks and shopping centres experienced modest declines of -1.8% and -1.4%, respectively; further reinforcing how changes in weather can impact visitor numbers to indoor and outdoor retail destinations. Overall, the final bank holiday weekend of the year provided a welcome boost to retail parks and shopping centres which could be set to continue into the final week of the school summer holidays. 

Week 34 – MON-SUN

Footfall in all UK retail destinations rose last week with shopping centre visits leading the charge. 

Overall, the week revealed a relatively positive picture with steady rises in footfall recorded daily in retail parks and shopping centres peaking on Thursday and Friday as the final bank holiday weekend before Christmas neared and people headed out to their local stores to stock up on grocery and BBQ essentials. High streets, however had a mixed week with modest declines recorded on four out of the seven days but did follow a similar trend in the lead up to the weekend with footfall rising. 

Central London’s Back to Office benchmark revealed the steepest week on week decline last week which could reflect a high volume of people choosing to work from home during the peak of the summer holidays. Coastal towns also displayed similar trends as did historic towns. Market towns and regional cities outside of the capital fared much better with modest rises in visitor numbers week on week. Annual trends revealed much more upbeat trends which could indicate the impact of the warmer weather compared to the arrival of Storm Lilian during the same week last year. 

Regionally, the East Midlands and Wales recorded the greatest increase in footfall week on week whereas Scotland saw a sharp drop which may well be reflective of how events are moving around the country and impacting different pockets of the UK. 

Compared to 2024, footfall remained higher in high streets however retail parks and shopping centres experienced modest declines; another indicator of how changes in weather can impact visitor numbers to indoor and outdoor retail destinations. Overall, the final bank holiday weekend of the year provided a welcome boost to retail parks and shopping centres which could be set to continue into the final week of the school summer holidays.

Source : MRI Software

Image : shutterstock / 1137631598 / William Barton

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