BRC: Retailers adopt cautious optimism as footfall remains flattish in January

New figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Sensormatic have revealed a slight drop in footfall for the UK in January. Despite a decrease of 0.6 percent year-over-year, performance was more promising than the disappointing Christmas period, during which footfall fell 2.9 percent.

High streets experienced the sharpest drop at 1.9 percent YoY, down from a flatter 0.9 percent decline in the month prior. This was followed by shopping centres, for which footfall fell just 0.8 percent, compared to -5.1 percent in December. Retail parks, meanwhile, recorded a 1.1 percent increase, up from last month’s 2.5 percent decline.

The best performing cities were in the north, noted Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the BRC, who said in this region “shopper traffic was hit badly by severe storms last year”. As a result, Scotland recorded the strongest footfall growth up 5.1 percent, with Northern Ireland also reporting an uptick of 3.8 percent. Footfall fell in the rest of the UK, however, dropping by 1.4 percent in England and 2.8 percent in Wales.

Dickinson said: “An uptick in consumer confidence and possible signs of a footfall recovery offer some cautious optimism for some spring-like green shoots. Government can enable retailers to build on this momentum by incentivising, rather than inhibiting, investment in stores and colleagues across the country. Upcoming legislation, including the Employment Rights Act, must support the long-term growth agenda, helping create the virtuous circle of jobs, investment in local communities, and footfall growth.”