An increase in footfall was recorded in the UK’s shops and on the high street last month, with the rise attributed in part to staycations and a tourist influx.
The monthly footfall figures for August show a 0.1% rise on a year ago as more than 5 million people stayed in the UK for their holidays over the bank holiday weekend.
It is only the third time that the survey by data analysts Springboard and the British Retail Consortium has shown an increase in footfall this year.
“High streets were the real winner in terms of the destinations we were favouring this month,” said Helen Dickinson, the chief executive of the BRC. “They saw footfall rise a healthy 1.1%. This compares with a fall in retail sales for the same period.”
Dickinson said the results demonstrated that people are being drawn to the high streets for reasons other than to shop.
Diane Wehrle, the insights director at Springboard, said the increase in footfall was driven by more visits to high streets after 5pm. The only increase in footfall during daytime trading hours was in retail parks, where it rose 0.4%. Footfall in shopping centres fell by 1.9%.
“August saw an influx of tourists and a return of the staycation in the UK as 5.1 million Brits decided to holiday at home over the bank holiday weekend,” said Wehrle.
