Retail footfall slumped by 2.9% in December, capping off a year of subdued shopping with an eighth consecutive month of decline.
Total footfall during the year was down 0.8% on 2024, with the difference weighted towards the final, ‘golden’ quarter of the year, when 2.2% fewer shoppers walked through retailers’ doors.
December’s sharp drop came despite an uplift in the week after Christmas – a pattern BRC head Helen Dickinson said suggested consumers were holding out for post-Christmas sales in the face of rising bills and food costs.
Shoppers also browsed less in the lead-up to Christmas, making fewer, targeted shopping trips. Shopping centres were particularly badly hit in December, with footfall down 5.1% on the previous year.
The BRC-Sensormatic footfall data followed Worldpanel and NIQ figures, which earlier this week showed supermarket volumes suffering and shoppers taking heavy advantage of promotions. discounters Aldi and Lidl took their largest-ever Christmas market share, reaching 16.8% of the market to the large-format grocers’ 60.3% in the four weeks to 28 December.
It was the third consecutive year of annual footfall decline registered in the BRC-Sensormatic survey. Footfall was down across all four nations, but especially subdued in England and Wales, which suffered the largest decrease at 3.1%.
“Retail hasn’t necessarily got harder, it’s just become less forgiving – from shifting consumer demand to rising cost bases across labour and business rate reform,” said Sensormatic EMEA retail consultant Andy Sumpter.
“This means retailers must break the cycle where cost-cutting impedes investment in the capabilities and services needed for sustainable growth.
“Yet, despite the challenges, there are still pockets of demand to be tapped. Shopper traffic rallied outside traditional peak days, showing festive buying patterns are changing. And while UK footfall fell year on year, it was the second strongest among G7 markets in December – a sign of resilience in a tough trading climate.”
Dickinson added: “This marks the third consecutive year of annual footfall decline, reflecting the continuing evolution in shopping habits and the retail landscape.
“Those shopping locations which have bucked the trend have done so by creating a complete offering, making themselves a destination for shopping, eating, drinking and leisure activities.
“To encourage a wider improvement in footfall it’s essential that government fosters the economic environment needed for retailers to increase investment in their stores and their communities.”
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