High Street Footfall Surges by 5% as Temperatures Soar

  • Footfall increased by 4% last week due to heatwave
  • High streets saw a 5% increase, retail parks 2.5%, and shopping centres 3.7%
  • Saturday decline of -7.6% in high streets, +5.2% in retail parks, and +3% in shopping centres on Friday
  • Friday’s peak temperature caused a -1.2% drop, but +7% the day before
  • Regional cities outside London saw -0.6% rise, Central London +0.5%, compared to +6.3% and +6.5% on Thursday
  • Coastal towns experienced +14.9% increase on Friday, up from +10.8% on Thursday
  • Rain caused a decline in footfall: -3.7% city centres, -13.5% historic towns
  • Weekly increase narrowed the gap to 2019 levels (-11.4%) compared to previous week’s -12.8%
  • Retail parks had a +0.9% rise above 2019 levels, while other types declined on Saturday

Footfall across UK retail destinations increased by 4.1% last week compared to the previous week, with high streets leading the way at a 5% rise according to Springboard data. Retail parks saw a 2.5% increase and shopping centres experienced a 3.7% boost. On Saturday, footfall in high streets declined by -7.6%, while it rose by 5.2% in retail parks and increased by 3% in shopping centres. As temperatures peaked on Friday at over 30 degrees Celsius, shoppers largely avoided retail destinations, resulting in a decline of -1.2%. In regional cities outside London, footfall dropped by -0.6%, while Central London saw a +0.5% rise compared to a +6.5% increase on Thursday. Coastal towns enjoyed a greater uptick in footfall as temperatures rose, with a jump of 14.9% on Friday from 10.8% on Thursday. However, when rain hit on Saturday, all types of town centres experienced declines ranging from -3.7% in city centres to -13.5% in historic towns. The week-on-week increase narrowed the gap to 2019 footfall levels slightly at -11.4%, down from -12.8% in the previous week. Retail parks saw a modest +2.5% rise above 2019 levels, while other types of destinations declined on Saturday.

Factuality Level: 10
Factuality Justification: The article provides accurate information about the changes in footfall across different retail destinations based on Springboard’s data and includes relevant details about the impact of weather conditions on consumer behavior.
Noise Level: 3
Noise Justification: The article provides relevant information about changes in footfall across different retail destinations in the UK based on weather conditions and offers some insights into consumer behavior. It stays on topic and supports its claims with data from Springboard. However, it could benefit from more analysis or context to provide a deeper understanding of the trends and their implications.
Financial Relevance: Yes
Financial Markets Impacted: The article impacts retail companies and related stocks
Financial Rating Justification: The article discusses changes in footfall across different types of retail destinations, which can affect the performance of retail businesses and their respective stocks.
Presence Of Extreme Event: No
Nature Of Extreme Event: Other
Impact Rating Of The Extreme Event: No
Extreme Rating Justification: There is no extreme event mentioned in the article.

Reported publicly: www.retailsector.co.uk