Retail footfall in Wales declined 1 .7% in August, a deeper contraction than in July and higher than for the UK as a whole.
Latest year-on-year data from the Welsh Retail Consortium, carried out by retail consultancy Sensormatic Solutions, shows a decline for the UK of 1.6%. For England in August there was a year-on-year fall of 1.3% and for Northern Ireland a dip of 4.7%. However, there was an improvement in Scotland of 0.4%. In July overall footfall in Wales was down just 0.1% on a year earlier.
For the UK nations and regions the biggest improvement in footfall was in London at 2.5%. The only other part of the UK reporting an increase was the north east of England with 1%. The biggest reported decline was the east of England at 5.4%.
An analysis of key UK cities shows that Cardiff experienced a 1.5% decline in August on a year earlier – compared to a 1.1% decline in July. The biggest rise was in Edinburgh up 5.7%, followed by Liverpool up 4.7%, with London up 2.5% and Manchester 1.1%. The biggest fall was in Belfast, down 6.2%.
For Wales as a whole shopping centres experienced the biggest decline of 4.7%. In July the year on year fall in shopping centre footfall was 1.1%.
TOTAL FOOTFALL BY NATION AND REGION
GROWTH RANK
NATION AND REGION
Aug-23
Jul-23
1
London
2.5%
3.5%
2
North East England
1.0%
4.3%
3
Scotland
0.4%
5.9%
4
England
-1.3%
1.8%
5
North West England
-1.6%
-0.3%
6
Wales
-1.7%
-0.1%
7
South West England
-2.0%
2.0%
8
South East England
-2.4%
2.3%
9
East Midlands
-4.0%
2.2%
10
West Midlands
-4.0%
-1.1%
11
Yorkshire and the Humber
-4.0%
1.0%
12
Northern Ireland
-4.7%
1.4%
13
East of England
-5.4%
0.0%
TOTAL FOOTFALL BY CITY
GROWTH RANK
CITY
Aug-23
Jul-23
1
Edinburgh
5.7%
12.8%
2
Liverpool
4.7%
5.5%
3
London
2.5%
3.5%
4
Manchester
1.1%
1.5%
5
Bristol
-0.3%
3.8%
6
Leeds
-1.0%
3.8%
7
Cardiff
-1.5%
-1.1%
8
Glasgow
-3.2%
1.6%
9
Nottingham
-5.4%
-0.5%
10
Birmingham
-5.4%
-1.4%
11
Belfast
-6.2%
-1.6%
Sara Jones, head of the Welsh Retail Consortium, said: “Hopes of a scorching summer of sales for Welsh retailers fizzled out following a slide in footfall. Shopper numbers in August fell by almost 2 percentage points on the previous month and remain an eighth down on pre-Covid figures. Whilst retailers will be hopeful that consumer confidence will improve over the coming months as inflation eases, resulting in a hopeful bounce in footfall, we are now entering mission critical territory as we move closer to the ‘Golden Quarter’ of retail shopping in the lead up to Christmas.
“Retailers are doing what they can to entice shoppers back to the high street with fantastic offers and experiences, but it is unquestionable that these destinations are transforming from a retail focus to a broader mix of shops, leisure and housing.
“This changing landscape needs to not only to be embraced, but to be supported. With an eye watering projected hike in business rates next April of £18m for Welsh retailers alone, we are calling for a freeze on business rates to support our bricks and mortar businesses which play such an important role in their communities. A freeze on business rates would be good news for retailers, for the high street ecosystem and for all of us who value retail as a mainstay of our local economies.”
On the UK position Andy Sumpter, retail consultant for Sensormatic Solutions, said: “An inclement August saw overall footfall dip marginally year-on-year after rallying in July, with dwindling shopper traffic not helped by nondescript weather, as well as the continued consumer caution and cost-of-living pressures that both shoppers – and retailers – have become increasingly accustomed to.
“And while total footfall was down, August showed some positive performance when it came to destination shopping with some travel and tourism hub cities, including Edinburgh, London, Liverpool and Manchester, showing positive upticks from ambient footfall boosted by tourism and school holiday staycations.
Similarly, while our data showed the number of store counts of shoppers to retail units within shopping centres and retail parks dipped last month, the number of visitors to those retail settings remained positive. So, even if consumers are being more purposeful, visiting fewer stores during each shopping trip, the opportunity to benefit from that ambient footfall remains – the key will be how retailers can tap into that opportunity to turn passing trade into store visits and sales through meaningful store experiences and a retail offer that speaks to value.”
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