The sun shone on UK retail in the first week of the new month (1-8 March) with footfall rebounding, rising 1.8% week-on-week across the country.
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The positive performance was driven by a 4.2% rebound in high street activity and by a more modest 0.1% rise in retail parks, according to MRI Software data.
However, shopping centres saw a 1.6% decline in footfall, “reflecting cautious consumer behaviour ahead of Mother’s Day [30 March] and Easter [18-20 April], which fall two weeks later this year than in 2024. This suggest shoppers may be planning purchases more intentionally”, the report said. Of course, it could also have been connected to the sunny weather with consumers less willing to shop undervcover and preferring outdoor destinations.
MRI said the rise in high street activity “is encouraging as it may well align with factors such as warmer weather, and schools reopening following the half-term break across the UK which will also signal a return to the office”.
Footfall rose on four out of seven days last week peaking on Sunday and Wednesday (rising by 18% and 8.3%, respectively) in all UK retail destinations. However, the drop in activity came on Friday “which was far more significant in shopping centres”.
High streets benefitted from the warmer weather on Saturday with a rise in footfall recorded, however retail parks and shopping centres saw a drop in activity on this day compared to the week before.
All town types benefitted from milder weather with footfall rising from the week before, especially in coastal towns and Greater London where double-digit rises were recorded from the week before.
Market and historic towns also witnessed strong activity, alongside MRI Software’s Central London Back to Office benchmark.
Apart from the West Midlands, regional footfall in all UK retail destinations remained strong particularly in the East of England and the South West.
