Fears for vital Christmas trading with Yorkshire shopping footfall still low

The latest British Retail Consortium-Sensormatic analysis for August showed total footfall in Yorkshire and Humber was down by 11.6 per cent last month compared to the same point in 2019. This was slightly better than the national UK average decrease of 12.4 per cent.

But Leeds was one of the worst-affected major cities, with a 22.1 per cent drop in footfall in the same period, compared to just -6 per cent in Manchester, -11.2 per cent in Birmingham and -15 per cent in London.

However, analysts said there was some qualified cause for optimism in the latest figures.

Footfall on high streets declined by 13.6 per cent in August, 2.3 percentage points better than July’s rate and an improvement on the three-month average decline of 14.5 per cent.

Retail parks saw footfall decrease by 4.1 per cent, 5.0 percentage points better than the previous month’s rate and an improvement on the three-month average decline of 8.6 per cent. Shopping centre footfall declined by 22.7 per cent, 2.1 percentage points better than July’s rate and above the three-month average decline of 23.6 per cent.

But there are concerns about what the next few months holds for retailers as consumer spending is squeezed by inflation, with calls for fresh political intervention from the new Prime Minister.

Helen Dickinson OBE, Chief Executive of the British Retail Consortium, said: “Whilst footfall in August continued its modest recovery towards pre-pandemic levels, the rate of improvement slowed.

“Many people remain concerned about the rising cost-of-living and the price of their energy bills, which has kept them away from visiting high streets and town centres.

“With consumer confidence at historic lows, stores continue to focus on converting customer footfall into retail sales.

“Big events in Birmingham and Edinburgh saw more notable advancements to footfall, as the Commonwealth Games and the Edinburgh Fringe brought more shoppers in.

“September brings a new Prime Minister and new government with a difficult task ahead.

“To help retailers keep prices as low as possible, the government should include a freeze in the business rates multiplier next year on the to do list, otherwise the 10 per cent inflationary increase in rates bills will lead to higher prices for customers.”

Andy Sumpter, Retail Consultant EMEA for Sensormatic Solutions, added: “Despite the heatwave and the ongoing train strikes cooling shopper numbers for periods during the month, August footfall on the whole remained resilient with performance improving against pre-pandemic levels compared to July, boosted in part by August staycations and rising tourist numbers returning.

“However, whilst the outlook for August remained cheery, retailers will be looking ahead to the autumn – and retail’s golden quarter of Christmas trading – with an air of caution as the cost-of-living crisis continues to play out, and they await to see what packages of support will be offered to consumers to ease the burden on household budgets once the new PM is announced next week.”