Overall retail footfall in 2022 continued its recovery from the pandemic whilst still being below pre-pandemic levels. From ONS data, of the three main environments, retail parks are the closest to returning to pre-pandemic footfall. Shopping centres have struggled compared to retail parks and the high street with the trajectory flat suggesting a longer road back.
© ONS Economic activity/consumer behaviours 2022
Three of our 2022 favourite footfall snapshots: 01 England vs USA biggest game for apparel footfall While it wasn’t the best game of England’s tournament it appears to have been the biggest driver of footfall into apparel / merchandisers. Could possibly be the influence of American / Tourist buyers rather than UK fans?
02 Valentine’s is more impulse than planned purchase Footfall data from gifting based retailers shows that, while retailers are hoping to get a Valentine’s bounce from early February, few are moved until the actual day. At that point it’s a mad panic and into store to avoid coming home empty handed!
03 Hottest days of the year were also best for footfall
The correlation between sunshine and commerce is well documented for food and beverage, it seems that all retail footfall benefits from the heat as consumers are triggered into purchases across fashion, beauty and health.