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UK high street footfall fell in July as heatwaves pushed shoppers online
Trips to high streets dropped 3.8% year on year after a 6.2% fall in June, while overall attendance across all shopping destinations was down 2.1%.
UK shoppers stayed away from high streets during July’s heatwaves, pushing retailer footfall lower and accelerating consumer purchases online, according to research cited by the British Retail Consortium (BRC). The monitoring firm Sensormatic found trips to high streets fell 3.8% year on year in July after a 6.2% decline in June. The report also showed traffic patterns varied by location and retail format, with shoppers in London seeing 5.3% fewer visits last month compared with 3% fewer across England. Sensormatic data cited by the outlet indicated increases of 2.7% in Scotland and 2.5% in Northern Ireland, while Wales was flat. Across all shopping destinations, overall attendance fell 2.1% versus the same month last year. Visitors to shopping centres declined as well, but retail parks returned to growth. BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson said extreme temperatures continued to weigh on footfall, especially on high streets. The article noted retailers are responding with mitigations such as added air conditioning and refrigeration, and with sustainability efforts, and it referenced Next upgrading profit guidance during the period after benefiting from sunny weather and strong online sales, while in-store trading lagged in the heat.