Dwindling footfall became yet another worry for retailers as customers stayed away from the high street over the festive period. The news comes shortly after our distressed business list highlighted the sheer number of big brands that had to close or struggle over the course of 2024.
MRI Software conducted research into footfall in UK high streets over the lead up to Christmas and found some sobering figures for retailers. A 5.3% decrease from December 2023 was recorded in the number of shoppers looking to fill their stockings.
That 5.3% decrease is all the more concerning when one also considers that 2023 was far from a bumper year itself. In fact, December 2023 was described as “dire” for retailers after it saw a 3.2% slump from month-to-month figures.
‘Golden quarter’ fails to shine
The British Retail Consortium reported a similarly dour story, but a slightly different figure with a 2.2% decrease in festive footfall from 2023. Their study centred around attendance at retail parks, shopping centres, and high streets.
Their Chief Executive, Helen Dickinson described the period as “a drab December” and warned that “2024 is the second year in a row where footfall has been in decline.
“Even the golden quarter, typically the peak of shopping activity, provided little relief, with footfall down over the period”.
Boxing Day on the ropes
Hopes for a Boxing Day boost were similarly squashed by a reluctance from shoppers to hit the sales as they once did. Analysts at OnLocation Footfall Index recorded a 9.4% drop in Boxing Day footfall, while MRI Software reported a lower, but no less worrying, 8.9% decrease.
The latter’s figures saw shopping centres and retail parks fare marginally better than this figure, with drops of 7.8% and 5.4% respectively. High street shops suffered the worst, with a decrease of 10.9%
“Circumstances were always against retailers”
Senior Client Manager at Forbes Burton, Ben Westoby, wasn’t surprised to see that shoppers had largely decided to stay home over the festive period. “It’s always sad to see such low numbers turn out to our high streets”, Westoby said, “but there are plenty of reasons why going out to the shops just wasn’t a priority for the UK public.
Without even acknowledging the public’s growing preference to buy online, bricks-and-mortar retailers have had to contend with a few extra obstacles over the last few years. Chief of which is the cost-of-living crisis. When buying online can allow you to shop around several stores in a matter of seconds to secure the best deal, going to a physical shop and accepting the first price you see can almost seem foolhardy.
The growth of Black Friday as an event on these shores inevitably takes a chunk out of December’s sales too. Happening just a few weeks before Christmas Day, many have found Black Friday (with sales events stretching well into the following week) the perfect time to purchase their gifts.
Add to all of this the atrocious weather that saw Storm Darragh cause havoc across the country, and it’s easy to see that circumstances were always against retailers this year.
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