BRC-SENSORMATIC IQ FOOTFALL MONITOR – OCTOBER
2023
Covering the four weeks 01 October
– 28 October 2023
According to BRC-Sensormatic IQ
data:
-
Total
UK footfall decreased by 5.7%
in October (YoY), down from -2.9% in September.
-
High
Street footfall decreased by
4.6% in October (YoY), down from -1.7% in September.
-
Retail
Parks footfall decreased by
4.3% in October (YoY), down from -2.4% in September.
-
Shopping
Centre footfall decreased by
7.3% in October (YoY), down from -4.0% in September.
- Of the UK nations, England saw the
least significant YoY drop in footfall, showing a decrease of
5.3%. Scotland saw a YoY drop in
footfall of 1.4%. This was followed
by Wales at 5.6%
and Northern Ireland at 6.8%.
Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive of the British Retail
Consortium, said:
“Umbrellas were up as heavy rainfall descended across the UK in
October, leading many shoppers to stay at home. As inflationary
pressures on households begin to ease, some people are shopping
around slightly less, braving the rain only to make their final
purchases. This led to a larger year on year drop in footfall in
all shopping locations than we saw in September.
“While consumer confidence may be higher than 2022 it is still
very weak, dropping over the last month. The economic landscape
remains tough, with input prices and cost pressures above normal
levels. Retailers are investing heavily in their Christmas
offering – trying to provide the best value and service for their
customers. The Government must ensure it does not unnecessarily
burden retailers with additional costs and the Autumn Budget
offers an opportunity to avoid a £470m-per-year business rates
rise, which would push up prices and limit industry growth.”
Andy Sumpter, Retail Consultant EMEA for Sensormatic
Solutions, commented:
“October saw overall footfall
decline again year-on-year, off the back of subdued September
figures, with shopper traffic regionally impacted by Storm Babet
which delivered the most severe and widespread disruptive weather
of the year to date. The ongoing cost-of-living pressure
continues, despite inflationary easing, to impact shopper
behaviour through October. Our destination data seems to show
that consumers are visiting fewer stores during each trip. This
suggests a move away from shopping around for the lowest prices
and best deals toward more focused purchasing as consumers become
more accepting of the current reality of paying more to buy
less. With this in mind retailers must capture customer
loyalty and spend as early as possible. As we head into the
critical Christmas purchasing period the focus must be on
optimising their online presence or creating engaging experiences
that can entice passing trade in-store to be converted into
sales.”
MONTHLY TOTAL UK RETAIL FOOTFALL (% CHANGE
YOY)
UK FOOTFALL BY LOCATION (% CHANGE YOY)
TOTAL FOOTFALL BY NATION AND REGION
|
GROWTH RANK
|
NATION AND REGION
|
Oct-23
|
Sep-23
|
|
1
|
London
|
-2.9%
|
-0.9%
|
|
2
|
East of England
|
-3.6%
|
-7.3%
|
|
3
|
South East England
|
-5.2%
|
-3.7%
|
|
4
|
England
|
-5.3%
|
-2.9%
|
|
5
|
Scotland
|
-5.5%
|
1.0%
|
|
6
|
Wales
|
-5.6%
|
-1.4%
|
|
8
|
North East England
|
-6.0%
|
-0.5%
|
|
8
|
South West England
|
-6.0%
|
-4.3%
|
|
9
|
North West England
|
-6.1%
|
-2.5%
|
|
10
|
Northern Ireland
|
-6.8%
|
-3.6%
|
|
11
|
East Midlands
|
-7.5%
|
-3.1%
|
|
12
|
West Midlands
|
-8.2%
|
-3.1%
|
|
13
|
Yorkshire and the Humber
|
-10.2%
|
-5.7%
|
TOTAL FOOTFALL BY CITY
|
GROWTH RANK
|
CITY
|
Oct-23
|
Sep-23
|
|
1
|
Edinburgh
|
0.5%
|
7.5%
|
|
2
|
London
|
-2.9%
|
-0.9%
|
|
4
|
Belfast
|
-3.2%
|
-3.9%
|
|
4
|
Bristol
|
-3.2%
|
-2.6%
|
|
5
|
Liverpool
|
-3.5%
|
3.4%
|
|
6
|
Manchester
|
-5.2%
|
-1.4%
|
|
7
|
Nottingham
|
-6.3%
|
-4.6%
|
|
8
|
Cardiff
|
-6.5%
|
-2.0%
|
|
9
|
Birmingham
|
-7.9%
|
-4.3%
|
|
10
|
Glasgow
|
-8.9%
|
-2.9%
|
|
11
|
Leeds
|
-9.7%
|
-5.4%
|
-ENDS-
Methodology:
All figures are calculated using precise shopper numbers entering
retail stores across the UK, whichever destination they are
located.
