Bargain-hunting shoppers give retailers welcome January boost

Bargain-hunting shoppers gave retailers a invited boost successful January pursuing a disappointing festive period, figures show.

Total UK footfall accrued by 6.6% twelvemonth connected twelvemonth successful January, a important leap from December erstwhile retailers saw 2.2% less shoppers than the erstwhile Christmas, according to British Retail Consortium (BRC)-Sensormatic data.

High thoroughfare footfall accrued by 4.5%, portion visits to retail parks and buying centres were up 7.9% and 7.4% respectively.

Footfall was up twelvemonth connected twelvemonth successful each 4 UK nations, with Wales improving by 8.5%, England by 7.4%, Northern Ireland by 3.5% and Scotland seeing a 1% improvement.

Store visits accrued substantially successful the archetypal week of the period arsenic galore consumers deed the January income successful their section area, with buying centres faring peculiarly well.

Footfall remained affirmative crossed large UK cities implicit the period contempt snowy upwind and Storm Eowyn causing disruption successful immoderate areas.

BRC main enforcement Helen Dickinson said: “Improved shopper postulation is invited quality for precocious streets pursuing a peculiarly hard aureate 4th to extremity 2024, and debased user sentiment to commencement the year.

“Retailers privation to put much successful stores and unit to heighten the buying acquisition for customers and assistance to turn the economy, but the swathe of further costs from April volition bounds concern and pb to occupation losses and higher prices astatine the tills.”

Andy Sumpter, from Sensormatic, said: “After a dreary December, retailers volition invited January’s footfall jump.

“While welcome, aft months of erratic and constrained footfall, the jury’s retired arsenic to whether January’s store show signals the commencement of a sustained precocious thoroughfare revival oregon if it volition beryllium a flash successful the cookware travel February.

“And, adjacent if shopper postulation betterment has yet turned a corner, the situation for retailers volition beryllium solving the adjacent conundrum; however they equilibrium enhanced footfall – which requires optimised store staffing to person into income – and the important rises to labour costs borne retired of the Budget connected the 1 hand, with user appetite for discounts – a semipermanent margin-eroder – connected the other, which volition not beryllium an casual ellipse to square.”