Festive footfall is starting to build nicely as the journey to Christmas already looks being upbeat for retailers, according to data from both global retail solutions portfolio Sensormatic Solutions and MRI Software.
Over the latest weekend (13-14 December) footfall rose 4.4% week-on-week, Sensormatic’s ShopperTrak Analytics data, which captures 40 billion store visits globally each year, showed.
Shopper counts across last week also increased steadily, rising 3.6% on the week before (1-7 December vs 8-14 December). However, footfall across Saturday and Sunday remained lower than 2024, down 5.7% and 5.4% year-on-year respectively.
UK shoppers were expected to have made 20.6 million transactions over Friday and Saturday, 6.39% higher than 2024, according to separate figures from Nationwide,
While footfall rose 3.5% week-on-week last Saturday, Sunday was the top performing day for store visits across the weekend, with shopper counts jumping 5.7% on the week prior and High Streets seeing the biggest boost (+12%).
Andy Sumpter, EMEA Retail consultant at Sensormatic Solutions, said: “After a mixed start to Peak Trading and concerns that consumer caution could dampen consumers’ Christmas spirits, retailers will have welcomed the tempered but steady build in festive footfall last week.”
Super Saturday (20 December) is expected to be the busiest day for store footfall of the entire Peak Trading season, according to Sensormatic’s predictions. This year, consumers are expected to make 10.7 million transactions on Super Saturday as they rush to finish their Christmas shopping.
Sumpter added: “All eyes now turn to Super Saturday, undoubtedly one of the highest-stakes shopping days of the Christmas season. And, while a single day can’t carry the entire trading period, retailers will be hoping that early momentum continues to build towards the Christmas crescendo.”
Over at MRI Software, retail footfall remained strong last week (8-14 December) compared to the prior week with a 3.1% rise recorded across all UK retail destinations. This was mainly driven by a 5% rise in high streets and a 2.2% uplift in shopping centres, whereas retail park visits were flat on the week before
While declines were recorded across the board on Sunday (-9.7%) and Tuesday (-6.2%), both mostly down to bad weather, “this did little to hamper overall trends”.
However, footfall rebounded strongly as conditions improved, with visits jumping 10.7% on Monday and 11.5% on Thursday, driven largely by activity on the high street. This could suggest the festive events and attractions drawing visitors in as well as festive parties whether they be work or social led, it said.
This is also reflected in Central London footfall remaining 4.2% higher week-on-week and 7.1% higher year-on-year. However historic and market towns recorded annual declines of -3.3% and -3% respectively.
Shopping centres witnessed similar trends to that of the high street with visits peaking on Thursday by 10%. Retail parks saw sharp declines on Sunday (-8.6%) and Tuesday (-5.7%) but experienced relatively steady growth for the remainder of the week.
Compared to the same week last year, footfall remained 0.5% lower largely influenced by a drop in shopping centre (-3.1%) and retail park (-1.6%) visits. High streets bucked the trend and saw visits rise by +1.3%.
Louis Vuitton has named Grammy Award–winning artist Future as its newest ambassador, deepening the maison’s ongoing commitment to celebrating talent across cultural landscapes.
Louis Vuitton names Future as its newest ambassador. – Louis Vuitton
The Atlanta-born rapper, producer and composer continues to dominate the global music landscape. Most recently, he released back-to-back chart-topping albums, “We Don’t Trust You” and “We Still Don’t Trust You”, which became an international phenomenon and further cemented Future’s status as a cultural trailblazer. Over the course of his career, Future has earned 11 number-one albums and multiple chart-leading singles.
“Future embodies the core values of Louis Vuitton, including creativity, artistry, and a pioneering spirit that resonates with international audiences,” the maison said in a statement. “His unique style and creative vision make him an invaluable addition to the Louis Vuitton family.”
It’s not the first time Future collaborates with Louis Vuitton. He attended Louis Vuitton’s Men’s Spring–Summer 2026 show in Paris at the invitation of Pharrell Williams, a longtime friend and creative collaborator. Earlier this year, Future also appeared at the 2025 Met Gala, themed “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” wearing a custom Louis Vuitton grey quarter-zip ensemble layered with a tie, designed by Williams.
Rent the Runway announced on Monday sales for the third quarter rose 15.4% to $87.6 million, with the U.S. rental platform clocking growth across its subscriber base.
Rent the Runway
The New York-based firm said ending active subscribers grew 12.4% to 148,916 during the three months, and average active subscribers totalled 147,645, up 12.9% on the prior-year period.
Meanwhile, total subscriber numbers lifted 6.1% to 185,166 during the quarter ending October 31.
In line with strong sales growth, the company reported a net income of $76.5 million, as compared to a loss of $18.9 million in the third quarter last year.
“This year we’ve repositioned ourselves for sustained growth in the category,” said Jennifer Hyman, co-founder and CEO of Rent the Runway.
“Not only did we execute operationally on our stated goals to return to our customer-obsessed origins, reinvigorate our brand, and drive double-digit growth in subscribers; but we also restructured our balance sheet, closing the recapitalization transactions in October that offer improved financial flexibility to better position us for continued growth.”
Earlier this year, Rent the Runway said it will hand over a controlling stake in the company as part of a plan to cut debt and grow.
The deal, with lender Aranda Principal Strategies and other partners, will wipe more than $240 million of debt from Rent the Runway’s balance sheet, according to an emailed statement released in August.
Looking ahead, Rent the Runway said it forecasts revenue of between $323.1 million and $325.1 million for the full-year.
Elisabetta Caldera, 55, has been named global chief people and organization officer for Chanel Ltd., succeeding Claire Isnard, 64, starting next month, the company told Bloomberg News in a statement.
Isnard is retiring after more than 17 years at the group, which had a workforce of around 38,400 employees last year. Caldera will join Chanel’s leadership team, reporting to Chief Executive Officer Leena Nair, and be based in London.
Caldera spent more than four years as global chief human resources officer at Aegon Ltd. where she was also part of the insurer’s executive committee. The Italian executive previously spent 17 years at Vodafone Group Plc in various HR roles until 2021 when she joined Aegon.
Under CEO Nair, the former head of HR at Unilever Plc, Chanel has been rebuilding the roster of top managers at the company as an older guard retires.
Chanel, known for its No. 5 fragrance, is privately owned by the billionaire brothers Alain and Gerard Wertheimer whose fortunes are estimated at about $43 billion each, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
The company, founded in Paris but headquartered in London, reports its financial performance once a year, generally around late May. Revenue fell 4.3% to $18.7 billion in 2024 on a comparative basis with operating profit sliding by almost a third partly due to heavy advertising spending and a rise in hiring.
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