The return of Oasis, Wimbledon and hotter weather have helped drive a pick-up in high street footfalls across the UK.
New data showed a surge in footfall across Cardiff in recent days after a boost from Oasis’ first gigs since the band reformed took place in the city’s Principality Stadium.
Weekly footfall data from retail technology firm MRI Software showed that the number of people in Cardiff jumped by 25.1% year-on-year between Thursday July 3 and Sunday July 6.
This represented a 10.6% uplift against the previous week.
It showed a particularly strong performance on Friday, the opening night of Oasis’ tour, when footfall was up 61.9% year-on-year.
The retail analysis business said: “Early data suggests that the Oasis tour is more than just a cultural event, it’s a catalyst for Cardiff.
“With the band set to visit major cities throughout the summer, retailers, hospitality, and venues hosting the tour should expect to see similar trends, providing a timely boost to footfall and spending during the crucial summer trading period.”
Elsewhere, the research also pointed towards a significant boost from sporting events, with MRI Software highlighting a positive performance linked to the start of Wimbledon.
Across the UK, overall footfall across high streets and other retail destinations ticked higher over the week from Sunday to Saturday July 5, as visitor numbers were also buoyed by warmer weather.
Retail footfall rose by 1.5% last week in all UK retail destinations compared to the week before, according to the figures, with retail parks performing particularly strongly.
Footfall across retail locations peaked on Thursday, while there were marginal dips on Tuesday and Friday.
The data also showed that London locations benefited from a rise in footfall compared to the previous week, “particularly office dense areas within the capital which could indicate the pull of cultural and social events”.
