BRC: UK December 2014 footfall figures best since January 2014

By

Cajsa Lykke Carlson

Published
Jan 22, 2015

Footfall in the UK fell just 0.7% year-on-year in December 2014, according to new figures from the British Retail Consortium. This is up on the 2.4% decline seen in November and on the average 1.3% monthly decline. The numbers are the best since January 2014.

Declining footfall was reported in all the regions except for the south-east (3.4%), the east (2.2%), Scotland (1.6%) and Northern Ireland (1.4%.)

BRC Director General, Helen Dickinson, said: "A decline of 1.8 per cent in the number of high street shoppers might not at first glance look like great news for retailers but it's heartening to see the pace of decline in High Street footfall slowing so dramatically from November to December."

He continued, "This is undoubtedly a result of the continuing changes in the way we all prefer to shop. It's worth noting that fewer shoppers doesn't necessarily equal poorer sales – in fact, we know that sales have been strong across the Christmas period. This tells us that retailers are getting to grips with the way people's shopping habits are changing and using methods like click-and-collect to drive internet traffic toward physical stores while, at the same time, targeting discounts to encourage higher sales."