Despite the month-on-month/year-on-year disturbance in the force (Easter), April returned to offer some sort of normality, delivering a welcome positive boost for UK retail destinations. And for once, related data from both MRI Software and the BRC/Sensormatic footfall monitor were in agreement.
Acknowledging Easter’s shift into April from March a year ago had distorted year-on-year comparisons, the former said last month’s footfall rose 4.3% compared to a year ago while the latter gave an even better increase of 7.2% in April, up from -5.4% in March.
“It was a much-needed lift as the sector deals with ongoing consumer caution”, according to MRI Software.
It said this boost was largely due to a 5.1% increase in activity at retail parks, bolstered by the shift in Easter holiday timings and a spell of warm weather.
High streets and shopping centres also experienced gains with footfall rising 4.1% and 3.9% respectively, “indicating seasonal events and attractions are drawing visitors back to physical retail destinations”.
Over in the BRC/Sensormatic camp, April’s high street footfall increased 5.3% (YoY), up from -4% in March; retail parks footfall increased by 7.5% in April, up from -1.2% in March; and shopping centres footfall increased by 5.6% in April, up from -5.8% in March.
It also said footfall increased year-on-year across all nations: 6.7% in England, 6.9% in Scotland, 13.6 % in Wales, and the largest increase of 14.3% in Northern Ireland.
Andy Sumpter, retail consultant EMEA for Sensormatic, said: “April brought a welcome rebound in footfall. The combination of Easter trading and the sunniest April on record helped entice consumers back into stores. High streets and shopping centres both saw solid gains [and] retail parks continued to outperform… reinforcing their role as a resilient format.”
Other MRI highlights included weekday footfall in April soaring 6.9% compared to last year, highlighting that more people were out and about during the school holidays and that the return to office “is solidifying into a long-term trend”.
And London was a big fan of April. It hosted the 45th London Marathon, drawing large crowds and boosting Central London footfall by 8.6% compared to last year’s event. The evening of the marathon saw a significant 19.5% increase in footfall as runners and supporters celebrated, likely giving a much-needed boost to leisure and hospitality venues.
As well as the Easter holidays, events including the FA Cup Semi Final and the opening of the IKEA store on Oxford Street may also have likely contributed to Central London footfall levels rising.
“It’s encouraging to see retail destinations across the UK maintain positive trends amid several large retailers falling victim to a wave of cyber-attacks which may potentially impact the in-store experience”, the MRI report noted.
Looking ahead to May, it said trends are promising but retail leaders should remain cautiously optimistic: “While events such as the bank holiday and school half-term break offer further opportunities to keep up the momentum, the cost-of-living squeeze continues to cast a long shadow. Retailers need to remain agile and focus on delivering value and experience which may help to convert footfall into spend as shoppers grow increasingly selective in how and where they part with their money.”
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