Many predictions about UK footfall in the days immediately before and after Christmas turned out to be wrong and this could mean a rethink for festive 2026 strategies.
Photo: Pexels/Public domain
We’ve already heard that so-called Super Saturday was a damp squib (a little too early perhaps with Christmas on a Thursday?)
We now also know that Boxing Day footfall proved to be “the star turn” in the festive shopping period, according to MRI Software data. Or do we? Contrasting figures for Boxing Day meant the Friday “failed to deliver post-Christmas pick-me-up for retail footfall”, as store traffic fell 1.3% year-on-year, according to Sensormatic Solutions ShopperTrak Analytics. Take from this what you will.
More of that later. First, let’s backtrack to the pre-Christmas Day story. In the final run-up to 25 December, shopping activity intensified sharply when compared with the prior week as the aforementioned Super Saturday (20 December), traditionally the peak day for shopping before Christmas, didn’t materialise, falling 6.9% year-on-year, according to Sensormatic Solutions’ ShopperTrak Analytics.
So it was left to Monday (22 December) to see a significant footfall surge 38.6% week on week, with high streets seeing particularly strong momentum (+37.4%). While Monday’s footfall across all UK retail destinations remained marginally lower year on year (-0.4%), “the uplift reflected shoppers making decisive, last-minute purchases”.
Data for Tuesday 23 December revealed footfall rose a further 27.4% week on week, despite remaining 2.3% lower than the same day last year.
Week-on-week traffic saw shopping centres with the greatest footfall gains, while store visits also improved 42.7% on the daily average for December.
Christmas Eve (24 December) proved to be the peak, with footfall up 4.7% week on week and by 1.4% year on year. Retail parks and shopping centres outperformed high streets as shoppers focused on convenience and efficiency while finalising festive purchases in the final hours before Christmas Day. We may see that repeated this year as Christmas Eve will be a Thursday and Super Saturday will be even earlier.
Despite Christmas week traditionally marking a natural slowdown in shopping activity (due to stores being closed on the day itself), UK retail destinations “delivered a resilient performance”, MRI Software said.
Overall, footfall for the wider 21-27 December period, when viewed year on year, was 3.9% higher across all UK retail destinations, suggesting that the later placement of Christmas in the week provided shoppers with additional time to complete last-minute festive purchases.
On a week-on-week basis, footfall fell 12.8%, largely reflecting the disruption of Christmas Day itself and the quieter trading days that followed.
Post-Christmas activity
After a slower start on the morning of Boxing Day (26 December), footfall rebounded strongly, making it a standout trading day, reported MRI Software. Across all UK retail destinations, it said footfall rose 4.4% year on year compared with Boxing Day 2024, “the strongest increase witnessed in a decade”.
Retail parks led the way with an 8.8% uplift, while high streets (+3.6%) and shopping centres (+2.1%) also saw strong gains, suggesting shoppers were keen to get out earlier than in previous years.
But as mentioned, Sensormatic’s daytime Boxing Day numbers showed a decline so it’s likely that evening openings were key.
“After what has been an unpredictable festive trading period, defined by shaky consumer confidence and spending hesitancy, retailers would have been counting on Boxing Day boost to shopper numbers in-store,” said Andy Sumpter, EMEA Retail Consultant at Sensormatic Solutions.
“While Boxing Day remains an important trading period, the shape of the traditional post-Christmas sales period has shifted, with early discounting, online migration and some retailers opting to remain closed on the 26 Dec all contributing towards the changing nature of the event.”
Interestingly, MRI said Boxing Day’s uplift was driven by evening activity, with footfall between 5pm and 11pm averaging +9.6%, compared with a more modest average +3.1% increase during daytime hours. With some retail stores remaining closed until 27 December, it’s likely that leisure and hospitality venues benefited from this later surge in activity.
Sumpter, added: “After what has been an unpredictable festive trading period, defined by shaky consumer confidence and spending hesitancy, retailers would have been counting on Boxing Day boost to shopper numbers in-store. While Boxing Day remains an important trading period, the shape of the traditional post-Christmas sales period has shifted, with early discounting, online migration and some retailers opting to remain closed on the 26 December all contributing towards the changing nature of the event.”
“While the days of consumers queuing outside Next stores at 5am on 26 December to shop eagerly awaited sales may now be gone, the extended Boxing Day period remains a strategically significant trading window for retailers — especially as some look to make up for lost ground after softer demand earlier in the month.”
Saturday shoppers
Momentum carried into Saturday (27 December), with footfall up 1.6% year on year, according to MRI Software. High streets led again (+2.4%), closely followed by retail parks (+2.1%), indicating shoppers were combining sales trips with dining, leisure and social plans. However, shopping centres saw a slower start to the sales period, recording a slight -0.6% dip.
Across the weekend (27-28 December), year on year footfall was 4.6% higher across all UK retail destinations.
Into Monday 29 December, momentum continued for high streets as footfall remained 1% higher year on year, said MRI Software.
MRI Software also revealed Tuesday 30 December footfall was busier than New Years Eve 2024. Week-on-week footfall fell 16.9% with high streets down 14%, retail parks falling 22.3% and shopping centres the place to be, with footfall rising 17.7%.
Compared to a year ago, overall footfall was up 15.5%, with high streets rising 12.4%, retail parks up 16.8% and shopping centres up 20.7%.
Birkenstock Holding Plc reported strong sales figures for the final months of 2025 as demand stays robust for its high-end sandals and clogs, despite the impact of a weaker US dollar and tariffs.
Birkenstock is known for its comfort driven sandals – Birkenstock
Revenue rose to €402 million ($470 million) in the three months to December 30, roughly in line with analyst expectations and 18% higher in constant currency terms than a year earlier, according to preliminary results for the company’s fiscal first quarter. Birkenstock had disappointed investors last month when it forecast a slower pace of sales growth of as much as 15% in fiscal 2026.
Chief executive officer Oliver Reichert is trying to win over investors with his slow-but-steady approach to growth, making sure consumer demand for Birkenstock’s footwear always exceeds its production. That’s allowed the company to raise the average selling price of its shoes and avoid markdowns.
He’s been criticised, though, for not giving enough information on Birkenstock’s performance and expectations. That’s one reason the stock has recently traded below its 2023 initial public offering price of $46, despite strong growth and profitability. The shares fell 28% in 2025.
“It’s clear that investors are not responding well to the ‘trust us, we know what we’re doing’ messaging from the company,” Williams Trading analyst Sam Poser said in a note last month. He has called Birkenstock “one of the best, if not the best, run companies” in his coverage, though he renewed his criticism of its financial messaging last week and cut his price target to $49 from $51.
Birkenstock’s first-quarter sales grew 11% on a reported basis, weighed down by the weaker US dollar compared to prior year, it said. Birkenstock reports earnings in euros but pulls in about half of its revenue in the US dollar. That situation- and the tariff burden- will continue in 2026, when Birkenstock expects adjusted earnings to exceed €700 million, it said last month.
Birkenstock is currently taking part in the ICR Consumer Conference in Orlando and plans to host a capital markets day on January 28. It will offer full first-quarter results on February 12, it said.
Global retail giant Amazon has been given the go-ahead to begin making deliveries by drones, initially with up to 10 flights an hour within the Darlington, County Durham, test area.
Amazon Prime
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has approved changes to airspace rules in the area around Darlington, where the company plans to offer the service to ‘drop’ parcels into customers’ gardens, reported The Telegraph newspaper.
But while Amazon could launch the service now, the company has yet to announce a date for the maiden flights. They will, however, operate from a local warehouse, 12 hours a day, seven days a week, delivering packages in under two hours.
However, the report says Amazon has faced opposition from some local residents over potential noise pollution, and from model aircraft flyers, who warn it could interfere with their hobby.
The flights will take off from a helipad at Amazon’s local distribution centre, with the aircraft flying at between 55 and 85 metres in the air with drones “designed to minimise noise”. It noted that the disruption will be less than the noise produced by delivery drivers.
Amazon added: “This is an exciting step towards bringing drone delivery to customers in Darlington. We’re continuing to work closely with Darlington council and the Civil Aviation Authority on this innovative first for the UK.”
The company had applied to the CAA last March last year and hoped to begin deliveries before Christmas, but the regulator did not confirm approval until recently.
Amazon’s permission for drone flights is temporary, lasting until June, although the company could apply for a 12-month extension, the report noted.
Goldman Sachs Group Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co., and UBS Group AG are leading a debt financing deal backing a Chinese firm’s acquisition of Italian high-end sneaker producer Golden Goose Group SpA.
A display of custom Golden Goose sneakers – Photo courtesy of Golden Goose
The deal could total between €800 million to €900 million ($935 million to $1.05 billion) of debt and other lenders are expected to join the bank group, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified because the deal is private.
HSG, formerly known as Sequoia Capital China, agreed to buy the maker of $500 dollar distressed sneakers from private equity firm Permira Holdings LLP, in a deal said to value the company at slightly over €2.5 billion, Bloomberg reported in December.
The financing is expected to come in the form of high-yield bonds, possibly floating-rate notes, in line with Golden Goose’s previous debt, the people said.
It is due to launch for investors to buy toward the end of the first quarter, they added, and could attract global high-yield investors, including Asian funds, seeking to play in a high profile brand backed by an Asian owner, one of the people said.
Singapore-based investment firm Temasek Holdings Ltd will take a minority stake in Golden Goose, and Permira will also maintain a minority shareholding.
Representatives for Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, UBS, and Permira declined to comment. Golden Goose, HSG and Temasek didn’t immediately reply to requests for comment.
The deal is one of the most prominent purchases of a European luxury brand by a Chinese buyer, and one of the biggest in the sector this year, ahead of Prada SpA’s roughly €1.25 billion acquisition of fashion house Versace.
Politics8 years ago