Welsh retail footfall saw an uplift thanks to summer holiday shoppers but was still well below pre-pandemic levels. That was according to new research from the Welsh Retail Consortium.
Figures from last month show that Welsh footfall decreased by 13.1%, compared to a year-on-three-year (Yo3Y) comparison of August 2019. This was 2.7 percentage points better than July but worse that the UK average decline of 12.4% Yo3Y.
Of the nations and regions of the UK, the decline was only greater in North East England, which recorded a decline of minus 13.3%, and Scotland, recording a decrease in footfall of minus 14.8%.
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The shallowest decline on three years pre-pandemic was South West England at minus 8.7%.
GROWTH RANK |
NATION AND REGION |
% GROWTH Yo3Y |
1 |
South West England |
-8.7% |
2 |
East Midlands |
-8.7% |
3 |
North West England |
-10.4% |
4 |
West Midlands |
-10.7% |
5 |
England |
-11.2% |
6 |
Northern Ireland |
-11.5% |
7 |
London |
-11.5% |
8 |
Yorkshire and the Humber |
-11.6% |
9 |
South East England |
-12.8% |
10 |
East of England |
-12.9% |
11 |
Wales |
-13.1% |
12 |
North East England |
-13.3% |
13 |
Scotland |
-14.8% |
Shopping centre footfall declined by 30.1% in August (Yo3Y) in Wales, an improvement on the decline of 35.1% in July but still worse than the decline of 28.9% in June.
Footfall in Cardiff last month decreased by 12.7% (Yo3Y), 2.8 percentage points better than July.
Of the UK cities, the decline in Cardiff was higher than Belfast (minus 13.1%), London (minus 15.0%), Bristol (minus 17%), and Leeds (minus 22.1%).
GROWTH RANK |
CITY |
% GROWTH Yo3Y |
1 |
Manchester |
-6.0% |
2 |
Edinburgh |
-11.1% |
3 |
Birmingham |
-11.2% |
4 |
Liverpool |
-11.5% |
5 |
Glasgow |
-11.6% |
6 |
Nottingham |
-11.7% |
7 |
Cardiff |
-12.7% |
8 |
Belfast |
-13.1% |
9 |
London |
-15.0% |
10 |
Bristol |
-17.0% |
11 |
Leeds |
-22.1% |
Head of the WRCS Sara Jones said: "As we hit peak holiday season, and with temperatures soaring, August saw a strong set of figures for visits to Welsh shops. Buoyed by the return of holidaying, social occasions and tourism, the improvement in shopper footfall was felt across all retail destinations, with shopping centres in particular seeing a much-needed pick up.
"Despite the improvement, visits to stores remain well down on pre-pandemic levels and will undoubtedly remain a worry as we enter what is traditionally the crucial golden trading quarter for the industry in the final months of the year."
She added: "This month’s more upbeat figures might paint a positive picture, but they do mask the real challenges being faced by business and consumer alike, as they wrestle with cost pressures that are undoubtedly going to have an impact.
"Given the current given inflationary headwinds and the likely impact on consumer sentiment and spending power, action is needed from both the UK and Welsh governments to protect living standards, assist retailers to keep down shop prices, and help retail destinations rebound.
"Retailers and consumers alike will be looking to see positive measures from both the new Prime Minister, as well as from the Welsh Finance Minister as she unveils her forthcoming budget, action which is vital for the wider economy given its dependency on what happens to consumer spending."
Retail consultant EMEA for Sensormatic Solutions Andy Sumpter said: "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 the ease the burden on household budgets once the new PM is announced next week."
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