Deluges in early summer drove shoppers from Britain's high streets
Monday 20 August 2012
Related articles
The soggy summer weather decimated footfall on the UK's high streets between May and July, compounding the pressure on retailers from the prolonged consumer spending downturn.
Visitor numbers to the high street have now fallen for the last year and a half, although the persistent rain meant that shopping centres offering cover from the elements fared better over the last quarter.
A 0.2 per cent rise in town centre shop vacancy rates to 11.4 per cent further lays bare the malaise affecting retail chains without a substantial internet presence as the shift to online shopping continues, according to the British Retail Consortium and Springboard survey.
Footfall on the high streets tumbled by 7.3 per cent in July, leading to an average fall of 5.5 per cent over the three months from 1 May.
Stephen Robertson, the BRC's director general, said: "Some of the wettest weather on record drove a sharp decline in shopper numbers over the quarter. July saw the biggest drop in overall footfall with high streets suffering the most. Apart from the Christmas boost in December, high-street footfall has been down for 18 months, driven by jobs fears and falling disposable incomes."
Across high street, out-of-town and shopping centres, total shopper numbers fell by 2.3 per cent between May and July, compared with the same period last year. This reflected a more modest 1.2 per cent fall in footfall at out-of-town retail parks and a 0.4 per cent decline at shopping centres over the quarter.
London suffered the worst footfall, with an 8.9 per cent fall over the quarter, followed by Scotland's 8.2 per cent decline.
However, some of the capital's retailers appear to have benefited from the Olympics. A separate survey from Springboard found that footfall on Greater London's high streets – excluding those in the centre of the city – rose by 5 per cent for the 16 days of the Games. This followed a return in visitors to shops during the second week of London 2012 after earlier warnings about traffic congestion failed to materialise. But across the UK's high streets footfall slipped by 0.2 per cent between 27 July and 12 August, reflecting the consumer downturn and many people being glued to their TVs cheering on Team GB's Olympians.
-
Feat of engineering: Incredible photographs show construction beneath New York's Second Avenue
-
Charles Saatchi accepts caution for assault over incident in Scott’s restaurant when he put his hands on throat of wife Nigella Lawson
-
Special Report: US troops are stationed in Japan to protect the nation. But to sex workers in Okinawa, they bring fear, not security
-
Police examine photographs of Charles Saatchi with hand on Nigella Lawson's throat
-
Iran to send 4,000 troops to aid President Assad forces in Syria
- 1 Breaking the Silence: In the reality of occupation, there are no Palestinian civilians – only potential terrorists
- 2 Charles Saatchi accepts caution for assault over incident in Scott’s restaurant when he put his hands on throat of wife Nigella Lawson
- 3 Anatomy of a waiter: Service staff spill the secrets of their trade
- 4 Exclusive: Cristiano Ronaldo advised to stay at Real Madrid for another 18 months before making possible switch to Manchester United
- 5 Iran to send 4,000 troops to aid President Assad forces in Syria
Get your summer started with British Military Fitness
BMF is the UK’s biggest and best loved outdoor fitness classes
How will you make today delicious?
Tell us how you plan to make today delicious and you could win a £50 M&S gift card.
Learn a new language
Add another string to your bow with Rosetta Stone, whether it's Spanish, Italian or Mandarin...
Making reading fun for kids
Nook is donating eReaders to volunteers at high-need schools and participating in exclusive events throughout the campaign.
Introducing the 'Get Reading' campaign
Get the latest on The Evening Standard's campaign to get London's children reading.
Enter the latest Independent competitions
Win anything from gadgets to five-star holidays on our competitions and offers page.
Business videos from commercial thought leaders
Watch the best in the business world give their insights into the world of business.
iJobs Money & Business
Graduate Trainee – Recruitment Consultant
£20,000 - £45,000 OTE: Co-Venture: Working for this company will give you a ch...
Senior Business Analyst
Up to £80,000 PA Plus Benefits: Legal & General: An exciting opportunity for a...
Documentation Analyst
£20 - £22 per hour: Orgtel: Documentation Assistant - London - Banking - £20 -...
Test Manager - Investment Banking - London
£550 - £650 per day: Orgtel: Test Manager, London, Investment Banking, £550-65...
Day In a Page
Scandi-geeks descend on Nordicana for fan-convention
Female aristocrats battle to inherit the title
In pictures: JFK's visit to Berlin in 1963
Mark Hix gets creative with English peas
Seasoned to taste: Food institutions



Comments