The recent festive period saw UK high-street footfall rise for the first time in five years in December, according to figures obtained by the British Retail Consortium.
The data, gathered by UK retail intelligence firm Springboard, showed that high-street traffic increased by 0.8% on December 2015, just surpassing the mostly-flat three-month average.
Other retail businesses saw footfall drop 0.2% from last year, continuing a four-month decline, but was still less drastic than last year's drop of 2.2% in December.
Footfall in retail parks fell by 0.7% year-on-year, whereas shopping centres experienced a dip of 1.9% year-on-year, dropping for the eleventh consecutive month.
Helen Dickinson Obe, chief of the consortium, said that:"Solid festive sales did not translate into a lift in footfall above last year as online continues to grab the lion’s share of growth. Ecommerce accounted for nearly a quarter of all purchases in December, suggesting that more shoppers than ever opted to go online rather than hit the shops.
"Retailers are having to gear themselves up to meet the evolution in shoppers’ requirements from bricks and mortar destinations. This will be key looking ahead, with inflation set to rise and a subsequent squeeze on disposable income; the environment for consumer spending will become increasingly competitive."
A representative from Springboard said that Black Friday, which now generates similar revenue to Boxing Day, has brought forward the Christmas shopping season. Customers also delayed shopping in order to take advantage of any extra discounts, with footfall remaining almost flat until the third week of December.
"The shift in consumer demand from focusing on the purchase of physical goods to encompass experiences has clearly benefited the high street as its offer has been able to transition quickly via an improved food and beverage offer which has helped to bring in much needed footfall," she said.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Karen Henderson. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
